A life full of doubt and hostility
by Semiramis-Audron
Summary: Several circumstances leading to the end of a whole culture and the only one who could revenge his nation, doesn't even know who he himself is...or where he belongs... Kuro ... Just a cunning pirate or is there something hidden in his heart and soul?
1. The decline of a kingdom

_Here's the beginning of my fanfiction, don't be to cruel about waiting for new chapters... I'm pre-writing it in german so I have to translate it._

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**Disclaimer**: This fanfiction is based upon One Piece by Eiichiro Oda. The plot, though, belongs to me, as do the original characters that appear. And this is beta-read from the German version by Slytherins Silver Snake. Thanksyou €> ! It sounds much better now! Meow -;-,

**I do not want this story copied/reproduced/reposted anywhere without my permission.**

**You don't want to find your story somewhere else, too.**

**Summary**: Along the Grand Line is a secluded island that holds many secrets. Some believe that it holds the One Piece, whilst others who searched for the hidden treasure failed to make it back alive. Or is what it holds something else entirely?

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Chapter 01: The Fall Of A Kingdom

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Along the Grand Line there was an island few had ever set eyes on. It lay in a stormy and dangerous part of the ocean and only a few humans had ever taken a step upon its shores. Once, upon this island, there had dwelt a majestic folk who could run with the swiftness of the wind and possessed catlike senses. They had ruled the Grand Line hard but fair and had been good friends with the humans. But despite their quick reflexes and strength they were a peaceful folk, only engaging in fighting as a means of sport.

Although intense ocean-dwelling hurricanes blew around the isle, the small island itself was a little paradise; the soil was fertile, animals and plants flourished and no one had to starve. It possessed wealth and there was busy trading between them and the humans. With the fishpeople there had been some trouble, but a peace treaty had solved this problem.

For hundreds of years, life on the island had continued on without being haunted by woe. But eventually time moved on and the humans changed; they began fighting wars against each others. Homicide and robbery spread. In the hope of preventing this lawlessness, the last moralists had founded an organisation that had called itself the Marines.

Indeed, the Marines had brought back the rules, when enough young able-bodied men had joined them. But the more the Marines grew, the more they became like those they had once defeated.

And like those criminals they became; the Marines had become corrupted so much to the point where all they cared about was how to enlarge their finances. Their envy towards the wealthy folk secluded away on their island grew and they defied the storms to face them. They wanted to subdue those island dwellers and bury them under high taxes. But the few men who survived the journey across the rough sea did not know something; as the years had passed, those who dwelt upon the island had gradually become almost extinct, their numbers falling from millions to just a few thousand.

Meanwhile, the humans had begun to deal with the fishpeople. After long negotiations, the Marines had convinced them that they should attack the island together.

Soon, the ocean-weathered ships made landfall.

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As the marines and the fishpeople trampled the beach, the skies were pure and not even a gentle breeze could be felt. But only a few steps later, a gust of fierce wind roared towards them at high speed and mowed down some of their men. When these men did not get up, worry appeared on everyone else's faces.

Inspecting their colleagues, the soldiers soon realised that they were dead. Someone or something had slit their throats.

The fishpeople drew their swords and got ready whereas the marines were still stunned. It again seemed as if the wind would hasten towards them but this time no one died. However, when they looked across the beach it was blocked by a number of armed warriors, the fastest and strongest fighters of this race. Men who could handle their blades as if they were part of their bodies. At the head of this small army was no other than the ruler of the islanders themselves, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He was standing across from the fishpeople and suddenly then the warriors disappeared as mysteriously as they had came.

Suddenly a loud cry was heard.

The soldiers whirled round; it was their leading marine officer. Right in front of his eyes, sharp long blades of shiny metal pointed at him. The islander's sovereign eyed him warily. Nothing was seen of his warriors, though one could feel their presence.

"This shall be your lesson!" the king declared. "We don't want senseless bloodshed, but if you coerce me I will defend my people!"

The ruler then lowered his hand and gazed at the officer, than he disappeared again. Fearful of what might happen, the soldiers wanted to get back to the ships, but the fishpeople began to revolt; they deemed it as their right to receive the promised fifty percent. This was why their leader ran further inland, his sword raised as he charged with a loud war cry.

When they saw that nothing happened to their leader the rest of the fishpeople followed. The Marine soldiers hesitated for just a minute than sprinted alongside them. Leaves were blowing around their feet as the wind hissed menacingly at them through the branches.

"You made your choice, but know that you cannot win!"

It was not possible for the humans to say from where the voice had come. Suddenly, the fishman who had made the charge found himself without his head. It fell straight to the officer's feet as the flaky scaled corpse sank to the ground, bleeding profusely from its fatal wounding. No one had seen death's scythe when he had cut the threads of live; men falling soundlessly to the ground was all that was visible of his work.

It happened quickly for the Marines; the soldiers had not long to suffer. A short pain and then they breathed out their lives. The fishpeople, however, were not offered such mercy. Their abdomens were ripped out so that they bled to death.

For those soldiers who had stayed behind on the ships, from their hideouts they now watched the few surviving warriors carrying cadavers back to the beach, after which they made piles of wood and lit them, burning the bodies of those slain by the islanders.

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Meanwhile, the islander's master was observing the soldiers as they scattered the ashes over the sea, but soon his pointy ears twitched.

Slowly he turned his head back towards the ships. His look roamed over to the row of vessels, where soldiers were crouched and shaking with fear. In his eyes was a blend on contempt and mercy. He knew that he could kill them now, before they would know what had happened, but he decided to let them go, for they would report that it wasn't possible to occupy the island. He then stripped off his gloves and disappeared, covered by the wind.

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After this shattering defeat, the Marines did not dare to launch a second strike so fast. Besides, they now had other worries; the pirate plague had grown year over year and now took up most of their time. Due to this, the isle of which most humans had never heard disappeared from memory. Over the course of many years, sometimes people of this proud nation left the isle to live unrecognised among the humans. Fortunately they could conceal their more feline features, when they wanted to.

More importantly, an unimportant buccaneer had worked his way up to become the mightiest pirate who sailed the four oceans; some even said that he would be the king of the pirates. His name was Gold D. Roger and it had taken the marine several years to finally capture him. When they finally executed him, the marketplace was filled with thousands of spectators who had come out to see the execution of the most famous pirate of all. The moment the hangman raised his sword, Gold Roger proclaimed his last words to all those assembled before him.

"You want my gold? You can have it! Search for it! Somewhere, I've hidden the world's biggest treasure!"

This treasure was the One Piece and was situated somewhere along the Grand Line. Post Gold Roger's execution, the great pirate era had began and the marines had their hands full. It wasn't just that they has to catch the pirates; they likewise wanted to get the One Piece in their claws.

Rumours eventually snowballed into the fact that this treasure was be hidden somewhere along of the Grand Line and so millions set sails, pirates and soldiers.

For a lot of them it became a wet grave at the bottom of the ocean. And it so happened that one evening, an old marine officer took his grandson aside and told him that, if the One Piece would be recovered anywhere, than it would be upon the heavily guarded but forgotten island from which he barely escaped as a young soldier.

Like wildfire, this news spread throughout the marines. They came to the conclusion that the legendary One Piece had to be on that island. Ships were equipped, troops combined and reservists conscripted. The final army chosen to regain the One Piece eventually amounted to five thousand soldiers on two thousand big warships, led by one of the most brutal and ruthless marine officers ever; one who could be counted upon to get the job done.

They faced the wild storms, some attacks by small pirate crews and eventually made landfall on one of the hottest day the isle had ever seen. No one attacked them, no one blocked their way. Freely they marched through villages, where mothers called their children back inside and locked the doors, straight to the palace.

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A young king was seated on his throne, his hands folded in front of his face. His yellow feline eyes surveyed his knuckles and he then skeptically observed, the black pupils narrowing to slits, the incoming officers. They were showing no deference or respect at all and the king observed the members of this obviously underdeveloped species with disgust. However, the long crate that rested near the throne, made of blackened silver with golden ornaments, seemed to attract the marines' attention.

The sovereign then got up from his throne and glared coolly at the marines.

"It is a long time since humans walked onto our island, especially so many of you," he observed. "What do you desire from me?"

Furtively, the grey-haired man's gaze moved across to a group of young women, one of whom was holding a little bundle in her arms. On his signal they left the room through a curtain.

"We want the One Piece!" the head marine demanded. "Give it to us or we'll kill everyone on this island!"

The young king raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms behind his back, stretching out his hands.

"The One Piece? Though Gold Roger was one of the few humans accepted on this land, he surely did not hide any treasure here."

The marine soldiers didn't believe a word of what the king had just said. The head officer took a provocating step forward.

"We know it's here! Your whole damn people hoard gold like no other does!"

He wanted to go further but was stopped by two guards with their lances, the ruler's face smiling as if amused.

"The old times in which my tribe lived in wealth lie far in the past. Haven't you seen, as you came through our fields, that our harvests wither and our cattle have all but perished? Truly, my people are poor. But even if we possessed such a treasure, I would deploy it for my race and certaintly not give it to you!"

The soldiers of the marine took this declaration as proof enough that Gold Rogers treasure was present on this islet; in fact, they were possessed and blinded by their greed.

"Now listen, you mangy beast! I'll make a proposal! Either you hand over the One Piece right now or I'll let my men slaughter _all_ your beloved people!" the head marine roared.

Surprised, the monarch looked at him and than burst into a roar of laughter. The marine soldiers were slightly confused and considered him to be distraught or schizophrenic.

The laughter faded away.

When next they blinked, the marines could see that the king had vanished. The precious crate they hadn't let out of sight had also been opened. Less than a second later, from behind his back, five long sharp blades surrounded the officer's head. A current of air ruffled the regent's short grey hair. In the sun's light the blades shimmered softly.

"_You_ want to menace _me_! A _human_ wants to menace me! Now _I_ will make a proposal to _you_! Either you get lost right now or you'll get the shortest haircut a marine's ever seen!"

Suddenly, the officer made a shrill noise, feet clattering was heard and the pointed ears of the king pinned back against his head in nervousness. An anxious yell filled the palace shortly after, a young woman with long black hair being pushed into the throne room. It was the same woman that had carried the bundle when the king had told her and the others to leave.

There was the click of a gun being prepped and soon a soldier was holding a revolver next to the woman's temple.

"Look, I got your wife! Get your hands off our chief!"

The palace's guards opened their mouths but no words were heard. Instead, they hissed in a manner that scared the soldiers. Through the back of their armours catlike tails broke through, their pupils narrowing to slits within their yellow iris. But as they prepared to attack the marine officer stamped his foot down.

"Call them back! I don't think you can get to me before the bullet goes through her head, no matter how fast you are!"

The king nodded to his guards; an instant later they were normal again and staring malignantly but powerlessly at the humans.

"Perfect! And now remove those things from his head or so help me I'll…!"

The soldier cocked the gun, against which the young woman twitched. He saw the fear in her black eyes and, unwillingly, the king let down his blades. The officer backed up to a safe distance before he gave the sign to set the young woman free.

Crying, she dashed into her husband's arms and clung to him. He soothingly kissed her forehead.

"Where is he?" he asked quietly.

The soldiers wanted to take the guard's weapons. They resisted, but the king nodded and so they gave in.

As she had calmed, the queen answered him so quietly that the humans could not hear it.

"The nurse has him, she's hiding."

Relieved, her partner sighed. As the marine had confiscated all weapons beside his, the officer once more spoke to him.

"Yet again! Where is the One Piece?" He drew and cocked his gun as he walked forwards, resting the pistol straight between the young man's eyes.

"I told you, it's not here! That's the truth! I wished we had it, then you could take it and leave us alone!"

The marine officer wasn't satisfied. To him, this strange man was lying. It was hidden somewhere on this isle; he was sure of it!

"We will turn everything on this isle upside down if we have to! And as your race is not bringing us any benefit, we've got permission from those above to kill anyone that stands in our way! And you know what?" He pressed the pistol's muzzle on the regent's forehead, whose proud look was still unbroken. "We'll start with you both!"

The officer then pulled the gun aside and shot at the young woman's head. Blood spouted from behind and she collapsed in her husband's arms, already dead.

"What had she ever done to you!" the king hollered to the officer. Again his pupils narrowed to slits, the hairs on his nape rose up as he pricked his ears and arched his back.

"Nothing. She was just some ugly creature that didn't deserve to live!" the marine replied.

This was too much for the young sovereign. A long black cat's tail broke out of his coccyx and whipped furiously.

All the marines heard was the sound of those strange blades and hurriedly looked around. The king was too fast for their eyes so the soldiers fired in circles, covering their leader. First they hit nothing, then a cry of pain rang out and the young aristocrat fell forward and banged his face on the floor. He remained lying down as his tail twitched before disappearing. At his right leg, a gleaming blood puddle slowly spilled out onto the marble.

Seeing an opening, the officer used the chance to shoot into the young man's other leg, causing him to writhe in agony.

"So, you damned beast, try to run away now!"

The young man tried to stand up but he couldn't hold himself steady. He crashed down to the floor once more and the officer rammed his thick marine-issue boot into his stomach and than face. But even when his victim was spitting blood at his feet, the officer wasn't satisfied. He cocked his gun. But all it did was click. It had no more ammo, so he grabbed one of his people's handguns and pulled the trigger.

The soldiers were already leaving the palace when one noticed a movement on the ground. They turned around and saw that the man their captain had shot was trying to drag himself to his wife's corpse.

"Sir! He's still alive!" one exclaimed.

Their leader backed up slowly.

"I know! That's the point of a stomach shot; this scum shall bleed to death, slowly! Well… remove those strange claws from him!"

The marine soldiers hesitated briefly, fearing the wounded man still had enough energy to kill them, but endured.

"And what will we do with them, sir?"

They turned to their officer, following him as he left.

"We'll sell them, of course!"

Therewith, the marines left the palace and devoted themselves to the search for the One Piece. Meanwhile, the young king crawled up to his wife and put his arms around her. Beneath them, a ruby lake of blood shimmered. He then kissed her and closed his lids, surrending to his destiny. **

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A pic of the young king, I made up from a Kuro screenshot can be foundat my nickname Semiramis-Audronother Kurofanarts of me are there, too.**


	2. A sea of agony

_Here's the second chapter, I'm actually in working on the translation of chap. 3

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They ignited houses, burned down fields, cleared woods, slaughtered pigs and cow, yet they found nothing. They tear down stone buildings and temples, exhumed graveyards, drowned all horses, yet they found nothing. They defiled the women, abused the children and tortured the men, yet no one told them, where the One Piece would be, how could they? So they fulfilled their threat, they beheaded the people, slit open their bellies, sliced their throats, burned them alive, drowned them, string them up, shot them, poisoned them, dismembered them, opened their blood vessels, impaled them, beat them to death and wade ruthless through innocently shed blood. The sky was black from smoke and soot, the waters were streams of blood, the field were sow with rotten reeking cadavers. The ways paved with maggot chewed up corpses, among them, those that were still kicking the bucket and slowly died a miserable dead. Howls of pain and laments bursting with fear of death, filled the air, interrupted by the coarse drinking songs of the smashed and celebrating marine soldiers. A genocide unparalleled, a sea of blood, framed by a sea of flames, on a most idyllic isles, amid an ocean of storms.

Between all this bitterness, a young blond woman pussyfooted herself through, the body scratched from sharp stones and hedges of thorns, that she endured to arrive the beach undiscovered. Between the corpses she crawled on the ash and mud covered ground in dirty, tattered rags, not picking up from the surroundings, a pair of marine lieutenants passed by, joking, she stayed lying down still, immediately, but a slight whimper came from underneath her rags. The lieutenants nearly had passed her, when one suddenly stopped. "Did you hear that?" Now the other one paused, too and turned around, the woman was paralysed by fear. "Wha? Naa! Yo've dronk doo much!" He drew his colleague back with him to the island centre. The young women sighed gently and crawled on. The beach was most dangerous, there were no trees or bushes, behind which one could hide, besides the marine ships that lied at anchor, also this was her hope… a little lifeboat would already suffice. She had now arrived at the rim of the forest, in front of her the white sand and the wide sea, again she looked carefully and searching around… There! There was a little boat at the beach, but straight next to a marine warship, what if it was occupied? But she would not get this chance twice, staying on the isle would mean a certain death, so there was hope.

She pressed the little bundle of cloth tight to her body and sprinted off, she could not run as fast as the men, but perhaps it would be enough to reach the boat unseen. Till now, no one shot her, perhaps the luck was merciful to her, carefully she laid the bundle into this nutshell and began to shove it into the water. Suddenly she noticed a movement upon the marine ship, she couldn't hide anywhere, so she looked up, awaiting the death. There atop, the arms crossed on the rail, stood a soldier with grey hair, but very juvenile, he seemed not to be long in the marine, yet. He indeed observed the young woman already some times longer and made no measures to shut her or to sound the alarm. His idleness made her nervous and mistrustful, suddenly he moved, what was he doing? The lad fetched a cigar out of his pocket stuck it between his teeth and was actually now searching for a match. As he finally found one, he noticed that now he was observed, he was extremely suspect to the young woman, she did not know how to interpret his behaviour. Cool he drew the match over the rail and the little head flamed on, he lighted the cigar and began to puff it. The young blonde decided not to challenge destiny any longer, though it looked as if he wouldn't divulge her, but who could know whether he'd change his mind. She pushed the boat further into the water, when suddenly something fell on the sand behind her, she flipped round startled, but nothing was there. She wanted to turn back and continue, when he look hit a brow backpack, she opened it. In there were three bottles of milk, a few souse and a loaf of bread, surprised she stared up to the ship, but the lad now stood with his back to her… three bottles? Did he noticed…?

Finally she managed to get enough water under the keel, carefully she got on board. Not knowing how to swim, scared her now, but she had no choice. Without knowing accurately where to go, she began rowing to the open sea, main thing: away from this crowd grave. The young soldier still looked after her, inner he wished she would make it! From under deck his superiors called for him. "Heeeeeeeyyy! Smooooooooooogaarrrr, Get y' ass down here an drink withas!" He flicked the cigar stub into the water and drew a new out of his jacket's pocket, than he followed the order of his marine officer.

The storms protecting the island, guarded its inhabitants, too, though raving round the nutshell they didn't brought it to capsize, indeed it was driven to the wide sea, as if the ocean knew, that death was lurking on the isle. When the island slowly disappeared at the horizon, the young woman exhale noisily and relieved, even that it was plain, that the hardest time would still come, the long sail upon the sea, and she had no hunch, when they would arrive inhabited land, or if anyway… She putt the rudder into the boat, from now on it made no sense to steer to any direction, all she could do, was to pray to the gods that they would be gracious. Now that she drifted on the wide Grand Line and nothing was to be seen except of water, she realised that the slight whimper had become a muffled crying. She took the linen bundle on her lap and wrapped the fabric aside, a tiny little had grabbed for her fingers. "So you? What will we to become now?" She began to indulge the baby in her arms, but it still cried. "I know, you want to be with your mommy…but it's not possible…" Tenderly she caressed its short black hair, the slowly setting sun conferred them a light shade of turquoise. "I think… you will not be angry with me, your royal highness, if I'm on first name terms´´ with you?… Although you're actual king now…" She looked into the direction in which she assumed in far distance their homeland, tears rose into her eyes, astonished the baby watched her and stopped crying for a moment.

She wiped away the tears and smiled at the babe. "You gotta be hungry, poor thing! We're on the road, all the day!" After she fetched one of the bottles from the backpack, she poured some milk into the top, gave it to the baby and viewed it drinking. The ice-blue tiny eyes shined now happy and attentive. "I wonder what eye colour you'll get? Hopefully those from your mum, the yellow ones of your father's always scared me somehow…" She closed the milk bottle and stow it away, the little looked yearning for the white liquid. "I can't give you more, I don't know how long it has to suffice!" It almost seemed to her as if the baby had understood what she was saying, but a toddler couldn't understand yet, it began to kick and wave. "Well, you got a distinct urge to move, don't you?" She let it crawl around a bit, always caring for it not to fall into the water. A few time she could just catch its black cats tail, that the toddlers can't control yet. With one and a half years it withdraws and reappear not till puberty. Gradually it became darker and night, but the baby didn't want to fall asleep. "Why don't' you sleep? The whole excitement surely must have tired you!" Objectively it was exhausted, but why it still refused, first was not clear to her. She wrapped it again into the warm cloth and laid it onto her lap, once more it began to wail and its eyes became moist, than it started to weep heart grippingly, now she grasped. "You don't wanna sleep without your mommy, right?" Intensively she considered what to do, to calm it, actually she should know it, for she had been the royal family's nurse for a while. What did the queen when it didn't want to doze? "Your mommy sometimes sang a lullaby for you, shall I try it?"

As the baby sniffled and whined on and big teardrops were rolling down its cheeks, she researched in her memory for text and melody and started humming while embracing the little one. Than she started gently singing till she remembered the entire lullaby.

"_Angels arise, as night must fall and radiant eyes stare down on our soul, if the powers that be, be beyond our call, than angels arise as the night will surely fall. And for every bit of darkness, there's a light so pure divine, and I ask you to protect me, from those ghosts and shadows and those shivers down my spine. Angels arise as night must fall and all knowing eyes stare down on our soul, if the powers that be, be beyond our call, than angels arise as the night must surely fall. There are things that must be magic, there's no explaining why or how, and there's every sign, that once upon a time is starting here and now, there's every sign that once upon a time is starting right here and now."_

As she sang the baby became calm, it stopped crying and began to eavesdrop, slowly its little eyes closed and smoothly it slumbered in. The young woman sighed. "Well Felinae, old girl… you brought this pigheaded-person to sleep!" She yawned and carefully, for not arouse it, laid down to night's rest, too.

The sun was standing high on the sky, they were drifting now nearly one and a half week on the sea and no land in sight. Slowly Felinae's hope, they would manage it, vanished, as the bit of provisions they had came to an end, she had no more meat till yesterday, admittedly the little was content with milk, but at this heat one should have drunk much more! However she had for some reason the feeling, that they wouldn't be on the Grand-Line anymore, maybe because, since a few time no sea-monster was swimming next to the boot any longer. The baby slept rolled up like a cat's cub in the sun, Felinae fanned herself a bit of air, she was woozy, the temperatures made it difficult, hopefully would it be night soon.

Meanwhile the young woman lost every feeling for time, a week ago she stopped counting the days, otherwise she would know that the fifth week had dawned. And still the child refused to drink, she went out of the last drop of milk, to days ago, she didn't care what would become of her, but if it would not drink soon, it would perish of thirst. "You have to drink! Please!" With one hand she took the little head, she hold the other over its mouth, but again it pressed its lips steady together. It helped nothing, she had to make it drink, if it had to, with brute force. She laid it on its back, so that it looked straight at her and clamped its head among her knees, carefully she squeezed them together. She didn't want to hurt it, just prevent it winding its head away, the teeth pressed together, she scratched with her fingernails the wound on her wrist open again, till the red shiny liquid welled out. With the other hand she kept the baby's nose shut, it had to open its mouth, but it appeared as if it actually would hold its breath and just twitched. Felinae became afraid, was it stubborn enough rather to suffocate? At the moment she wanted to take away her hand it tear open its mouth and nearly stifled sucked in the air, she let it take a few breath and before it could close its jaw again, she pressed her wrist, from which blood flowed, on its mouth. Desperately it kicked and waved and tried to scratch her, but it had to drink, she would not give in, either it drank or it wouldn't get air… "Drink! Damn it, drink! My life's not as important as yours!" She felt it swallowing a few times and how a tremble went through the little body, then let it breath and fast wrapped fabric round her maltreated wrist. The baby cried, it didn't like what it had to do, she took it in her arms and calmed it. "We'll soon find land… certain!"

Heavy breathing, the young woman laid in the boot, her head was aching, black points danced in front of her eyes, nausea shook her, the blond hairs were soaked in sweat and her eyes filmy. The little one had crawled to her and compassionate cuddled up to her, Felinae lifted under hurt her head and took it in her arms, they were scratched and the wounds did not mend anymore. „You have to survive, understood?" A cough attack overcame her, some blood ran from the corner of her mouth, she wiped it away with shaking hands and pressed the child to her. „You have to avenge our people yet!" She kissed the tiny forehead and stroked over the big ears, than she lovingly looked into this dark blue eyes. Was it because she felt so bad or did they really became a bit darker? „You're a cunning, unrelenting tot, got that from your father... hopefully you got his courage, too..." She closed her lids, her embrace loosened, a blond hair strand felt onto her face as her head sank back. The tot nudged her with its small hands, but she did not wake up, she went beyond the frontier ... she was dead. The little boy pressed himself tight to her and started quietly to weep, despite of his age, he understood, that now, he was completely alone on the world. Though he did not yet comprehend in what danger his life was now, too. If destiny would not drove the boat to an island soon.

**Note: The lullaby is taken from "Dance of the vampires_"_ the song is called "Angels arise" and can be downloaded at http: on the "demo" page**


	3. The birth of a new morning

Like every morning in the last ten years a man, who had already lived the half of his life, went out on the sea to get in his nets. He was no fisherman, just getting from the ocean what he needed for the day. It was still dark out there, only far at the horizon one could perceive the slight dawn. Today his catch was rather meagre, three little fishes, but it would suffice him. He drew the net into the boat and let the rudders slide through the calm water, when something felt strange to him... what dark spot was that in front of the uprising sun? He changed the direction, this interested him. The closer he came; the clearer became the contour of a small boat, how astonishing was that? At this time just fishermen went out and it seemed as if nobody was in it. Hopefully the owner wasn't drowned, he rowed much more closer to it, until he could risk a look… what was revealing to him, nearly made him speechless. Mooring the nutshell to his own boat, he rowed back to the coast as fast as he could.

Completely distraught he dashed into the cramped shop and straight to it's owner that tried to kick him right out, she had clientele. "Arkas! Please, what's that big! The people are waiting!" He had to take some deep breaths before getting few words out. "You really have to come with me! It's... You have to see it yourself! I need a woman! NOW Evelyn!" Confused and up giving, she sighed and requested him to at least being allowed to cash up these three customers. Nervous he agreed and started walking up and down in front of the store, until she closed the door behind her. "Well, I hadn't expected you to become domestic…" Taken aback he gazed at her, than with a shake of his head, he snatched her arm and pulled her to his outlying landing stage. A smothered scream filled the air, as she looked into the boat, queasiness rose in her... this reek. There laid a carcass, utterly dead for three days, but it was one of the hottest summers ever and thousands of flies crawled upon the cadaver. "That's what you wanted to show me? It's nauseating! We must report it to the marine immediately!" He embarked the boat and turned the corpse with his foot on the back, flies arose and buzzed wildly around. "Naw! We just had to, if it was murder, but... she died willingly…" Evelyn covered her mouth with her hands... it was woman? How terrible! "We burn the corpse, that's all." He kicked the stinking heap onto the strand and fetched a bottle of Whiskey from his boat, he regarded it. "Actually it's a pity..." than poured it over the corpse and searched for his matches.

"But ... you don't need me for this, so why should I come here?" Arkas pointed with his head to the little dinghy, she kneeled down and peeked in. There yet laid something else, …something little… "For God's sake! Is that a child?" He nodded and flicked the burning match onto the cadaver, it caught fire immediately, the thing must have been completely parched. Carefully Evelyn nudged the child, it appeared still to live, so hardly breathing. She took it into her arms and listened onto his breast, the heartbeat was extremely slowly and weak, it needed a doctor! "The poor little thing needs a practitioner! I better care about it." She took a blanket from Arkas' boat and wrapped the little one in, than she wanted back to the village, but he grabbed her shoulder. "The little thing is a boy and **I**'ll care about him. I just wanted you to give me the milk and food for him, half prize!" She was a bit astonished, that she hadn't awaited, he actually lived very secluded and wasn't interested in other people's business very much. "What'd **YOU** want with a child?" He kept silent for a moment and watched the waves, memories from his youth rose in him. "Beforehand I'd never spent a thought on setting up a family, but now I'm getting older and maybe…a bit sentimental. Probably I just want to pass on my knowledge and… Didn't you wanted to leave the isle for the mainland, if I'm correctly remembering!" It was right, the shop didn't run that well, so she had to close it, nothing was holding her here. "You're such an oddball, Arkas... but please, bring it up if you dare. Anyhow it needs a doctor first!" She put him the little boy with the black hair into his arms and watched them sceptically. Arkas wasn't really a perfect example for a human… "Didn't you hear me? Come on!"

„Hmm… That's not looking very good!" The doctor took the stethoscope out of his ears and laid the little back into this kind of cot. "A few hours later and every rescue would have been to late. So I can guaranty for nothing, still." Evelyn looked on her watch and said goodbye to Arkas, she had to go, but he should notify her when the little one felt better. The doctor wanted to keep him in, for observation, that's why Arkas stayed there, too. He didn't trust those quack doctors; he just let him out of sight for a moment, fetching a book from home. "Listen! When you're loitering in my practice, you can provide that the loss of fluid will be compensated!" The doctor seemed slightly displeased for every of his movements being watched. "Every two hours you have to feed it some water, it's to weak to drink, so just let it drop into its throat and keep watching that nothing comes into its trachea!" He bang shut the door and went into bed. Arkas shoved a chair to the cot, drew spectacles with circular glasses out of his waistcoat's pocket and leafed through the book and, as he found the page, put on the specs and started reading. Yet after a while he closed the book again, a silent whimper distracted him, he looked aside. The child had woken up, he laid crouched on the side, the deep dark-blue eyes stared filmy into the room, he cough and breathed irregularly. When Arkas wanted to pick him up, he flinched, but the grown-up adult took no notice of it, but poured some water into the boy's mouth, he did it like that doctor told him. But that expert must have appraised the youngster wrong, for it was eager swallowing the cooling fluid. Than it had to cough once more and the little body shook. "Hey pull yourself together and act like a man, you sissy!" He laid him back into the cot and concentrated on his book again.

Arkas sighed, he felt the little one staring at him and looked down… °How old might this boy be indeed? Utterly two years, why was this young woman together with such a small child in a tiny boat drifting on the wide and dangerous sea? What would be dreadful enough to make someone that despairing to see this as the last chance? If the boy could already speak?° Anyhow this was a peculiar child, these oversized ears, the black hairs shimmering turquoise in the candlelight and these dark-blue eyes, so sphinx-like and attentive. As if he would comprehend everything occurring around him... usually toddlers weren't cognisant of their existence THAT much, they crawled funny through the landscape and slobbered on everything passing their way, one could plainly discern this at much of the village's children. He gave the boy again some water to drink, although the doctor had said every two hours, but if he was thirsty it could not impair. Maybe it just appeared to Arkas as if, but the boy seemed to mend more from minute to minute. His breath was calm and regular, now as well his eyes were gleaming normally. "You're much like that tomcat I had as child… often thought he would croak, but seemed to had nine life. That one went through a lot of shit, you know!" The boy looked fatigued, his eyes were closing perpetually, but he wanted to stay awake. He did not trust that man with the grey strands in his dark hair. "Sleep young man!" Arkas put his book aside and blanketed the boy again. After blowing out the candle he made it himself comfortable in the chair and slowly slept in, too.

Glittering sunbeams flooded the room and drew patterns on the wooden ground. Gradual Arkas aroused of Somnus' arms, he yawned and looked around confused. Then he remembered why he was here... the lad was still sleeping tranquil, coiled like a small kitten. The clock on the wall said half past ten. Beforehand Arkas never slept that long, they had no occasion for this. If one had told him he some day would bring up a child, he'd have rolled on the floor in laughter. But this life laid far behind him, he was a different man now. Well, he would have split his side with laughter yesterday, too… till he saw that child. Something in it made Arkas fond of it. He could not explain but it had a kind of aura that leaves nothing else to the people as to like it. The doctor walked into the room and examined the little one. "Amazing! The condition is much better, and that so fast, it verges to a wonder!" He took the kid up it was obviously displeased to be awaked that rough and the cold stethoscope, squeezed on his chest seemed to upset him, too. „Breathing and heartbeat are perfectly normal. You'd follow my instructions? ... And what else you did, it was right!" He turned the little boy round to overhear his back, as the boy was no longer in danger to life, the doctor could accurately examine him. „Equable physique, possibly a bit to thin for the age... Well... we should not talk about the ears… But, tell me Arkas. Did you noticed this grazed wound on his back straight above the coccyx? The skin there is scraped bloody and extremely sensitive... but that should be no bigger problem, too. The boy seems to have a good regeneration capability. I think tomorrow you can go home with him." Nodding Arkas leaned back in the chair. °Tenacious lil' lad, one can make something out of that!°

When Evelyn entered the practice to inquire about the child, she experienced a curious event. Arkas kneeled in front of the bed; the chin rested on the crossed arms and stared at the boy. What made the thing so strange was that this one stared back just as dogged and stubborn. "Well! There're two that found each other! Good morning!" She sat down on the side of the bed and took the boy in her arms, grim Arkas stood up. "I was actually trying to make him speak!" The little one yawned and robbed his eyes with tiny hands, Evelyn was delighted and found him really sweet. "Oh you cute little honey-bunny, are you tired? D'you want to do snoozy-snoozy?" unappreciative Arkas fixated the young woman, in the boy's dark-blue eyes, was a certain consternation, too. "How shall he learn to speak right, if you're talking such bullshit?" The just rousing mother's feelings were killed with one hit. When now the little one started to kick and wave, Evelyn sulky left the practise. "Don't crawl to my door, when you got problems with this child!" Shoulder twitching Arkas peeked after her, then he went back to the boy and looked at him long and insistent. "You're not donating your sympathy to everyone, are you? Maybe better in this times..." It almost seemed as if the lad would knew very well whereof the man was speaking. Arkas thought for a short moment to see the boy smirking at him, though he wasn't quite sure. "Lesson number one, little boy: Never rely on someone except yourself and possibly me, but I would not guarantee for that!" The boy laughed, Arkas couldn't believe it, a lucid, happy and innocent children's laugh, yesterday he hardly breathed! Somehow it was relieving for the self-willed man, to see the little that lively. This one now turned round and went on sleeping. "...Well... just like my black tomcat..." °°°

The day drew to a close; Arkas was occupied with the boy the whole time and hoped for an interaction. He had rolled some marbles to him, talked to him offered him fresh bread. The food he accepted, played a bit with the multicoloured glass-bubbles, but he said nothing, though Arkas was sure a child at his age could speak at least a few words. He just watched him from that beady dark eyes as if he wanted to say: I don't like this place couldn't you bring me back home? But what else do you expect from a little child, of course homesickness and longing for his parents, but Arkas didn't care 'bout that very much, he took the boy onto his lap (although he never let someone come this close to him before). "Now listen buddy! I know you're still a child but if you want to become someone in life, you gotta get tougher! Crying for mummy won't help! Use your elbows or get tussled yourself! As long as you can't defend yourself, I'll look after you. But as soon as you're standing on your own two legs, care for yourself! Just the strongest will survive and you got a hell of a potential. Do something with it and stop sniffing!" He gave him a head nut and awaited loud crying, the boy pressed his eyes together… but he didn't weep. "Works! You're a clever little tot, fast learning!" He skimmed over his hairs... really strange that he liked that child that much, so he could not stand anyone. Maybe there indeed developed some father's feelings in him... he, who ahead of time was hanging round with the most sinister and asocial guys. Luckily he retreated to this peaceful region. Imagine the humiliation if his old friends would see him now.

In this moment the door banged open and two marine soldiers entered the room. Arkas surprised shoved up his spectacles. "Arkas, we were notified, that you picked up an exposed child, though the order is, that all street-kids must be brought into the marine's orphanage! We'll take it with us!" Arkas got up, internal he cursed Evelyn and built up in front of the bed. "In your wonderful orphanage they're raised as conformistic soldiers... I like neither the marine nor its repression of individuality. He stays with me!" The soldiers looked at each other, than one walked round Arkas and snapped the black haired youngster, which scratched and bite him, trying to free himself. But without any success, against a grown up man he had no chance. As the soldier had enough of this fidgeting, he grabbed the boy at his legs and banged his head against the wall… Arkas twitched, one could see the pain in the little face. A red rivulet seeped down his forehead; he was slightly unconscious from the hit. The dark eyes filled with tears as the soldier once more smashed him toward the wall. "Howl, you bastard!" Arkas fists knotted, the knuckles shimmering white through the skin. His relationship to the marine was always deeper than a light antipathy, he hated them, they were his enemies ever since. Because oppositely to pirates they were mendacious hypocrites. Pirates say: We kill you and then they do… but the marines introduce themselves as your friends, than ram a knife into your back. The soldier went angry, the boy just didn't want to cry, no matter how much it hurt, instead he again tried to scratch his kidnapper. Arkas was impressed and proud in one, considering he had taught him to behave like a man, but the little body could not stand out much more. Once again the soldier reached out, when his arm suddenly was stopped, Arkas fist clasped his wrist. "Do it and you'll regret it!" Surprised the soldier let the boy down, Arkas took him and carefully laid him onto the bed, in pain he rolled into a ball. "We take this obtuse brat, if you like it or not!" A disgusting creak resounded as Arkas' fist smashed the soldier's nose. With a bloody face he tried to get up. "How can you dare!" His colleague that had just stood silently watching hitherto, tried to slink to the boy. But Arkas detected it and placed a low kick in his back. "I give a shit on what high ratings you got! The boy stays with me!" Something hard hit the back of his head and for one moment he went to the ground. The soldier stood over him with a chair and let it come down on Arkas, but this drew two daggers from the cases at his belt and ripped his assailer's shins. With half closed eyes the boy followed the happening, he roughly grasped what went on here… The men that had hurt him wanted to take him with them and the other one protected him... even if they hurt that guy now... he staked his life for him… The soldier yowled and fell backwards Arkas jumped on his feet and let the daggers rotate in his hands, apparently he was extremely skilled with this weapons. The second soldier received some violent cuts on his back and face, before Arkas took a few steps back. "Beat it, if you care about your pathetic life!" Both dragged themselves to the door as fast as they could, one had to carry his workmate, Arkas had completely cut his leg's tendons. Before they finally left the practice the carried shouted something. "Keep the brat! But we'll see us again this will have a repercussion! Asshole!" A dagger flashed into his direction and bogged in the doorframe, directly next to his face. They dashed away.

Arkas turned to the little one, trembling and dazed he cowered between the pillows, the man sat himself to him. "You comprehended lesson two, before I've even told you… Never lose your pride, never give them gratification and kick straight back in their asses when you got the chance!" The boy slowly opened his lids, gradually he regained his consciousness. Till now Arkas had not noticed, that the dark-blue of his eyes meanwhile had turned into an unfathomable black. "You fought bravely, I can be proud of you, young man!" He stroked over the small head and something happened he had not expected... The boy entwined him, searching for security, than exhaustion overwhelmed him and he could no longer hold his tears back. Mutely weeping he pressed himself at the man that saved him. Arkas was stunned it was the first act that came from the boy and it was so much emotive. The boy cried heart-rending, all piled up dread and grief of the time spent alone with the dead woman in that boat, unloaded in an ocean of tears. Arkas embraced him tightly, trying to calm the child. "Shhhh... Everything's all right… all's good, little boy…" It seemed as if the youngster would finally trust him… °Hard skin tender core… you're really similar to my old black tomcat… I think... I'll call you like him…° Arkas considered a while... did he truly wanted to name the boy after a cat? In point of fact it wasn't even a real name ... but it had been a proud, shrewd and tenacious being, the only true friend he ever had… beside of this, the boy had black hair and eyes…

"**Kuro**!" He shoved up his glasses and determining smiled at the boy, who was looking attentive up to him... obviously the name seemed to please him. He cuddled up to the adult and slept in, devitalised. Arkas glanced out of the window into the falling night. Who thought that he'd ever have a son?


	4. hyperactif and curious

Understandably the doctor persisted on keeping the both in his practice a day longer, grim Arkas agreed. Though he asked himself where this stupid doctor had been, while the marine soldiers played squash with the boy.

These guys, he really gave them a proper lesson, but now he had no good feeling of it. Why these idiots had to tempt him so much until he brought his daggers into play, hadn't he sworn to himself never to use them again? Times ago they had been his recognition marking and he felt no desire to revive the past. Arkas was immediately drawn from his thoughts, when a little someone yawned noisy.

"Eh Kuro? Waked up?" With big beady eyes the boy looked at him.

Yes Kuro was a good name! Short, pregnant and something an adult would not have to be embarrassed of. Many names fit perfectly to little children, but not to the old people they're going to grow to. Buggy for example, nice for a little, fat child but not very suitable for a pirate. Buggy… Arkas had to laugh. This bloke was working damn hard until the other pirates stopped deriding him for his name.

"Hey little boy! Today I'll show you your new home! Looking forward to it?"

Little Kuro nodded, yawned again turned round and slept until they would start. Arkas raised an eyebrow; this lad really had something of a little kitty. °Hopefully you're familiar with something else than napping, Kuro! °

o-

Since two month, now Arkas had a cohabitant at his house, for what he wasn't prepared at first. Firstly he placed the boy on a chair and made some tidiness.

Leftovers, rubbish and empty bottles, what is normally found in a single's household, had been thrown away. Of course he packed away his alcohol, tobacco and porn magazines in a cupboard unreachable for the youngster, instead of as usual letting them lie around in the rooms.

Little Kuro naturally did not stay on his chair in the meantime, but started exploring his new home. After the cleaning it took Arkas two hours to find Kuro. This one was laying outside on the meadow behind the house, letting himself be heated by the sun.

At first there had been some little discrepancies between the both, about the time one would get up. Arkas was used to wake up around seven and waked the boy at this time, too. Completely drowsy this one had blinked at him, showed him his back and slept on.

When Arkas tried to wake him up again, the boy crossly stared at him as if he wanted to say: Eh! Old man! Let me sleep or you'll get some nasty trouble!´´ Arkas wasn't impressed by this very much, he kicked his ass out of the bet, what he got quitted with an angry hiss.

Then the boy decided to turn up the volume and started bawling. Arkas put some cotton balls into his ears and the problem was solved for him.

But Kuro wouldn't surrender that fast, he stopped his breath, Arkas still was unmoved and shoved up his glasses.

"Don't bother! You gotta get up!"

Slowly his face reddened, as it turned into bluish, Arkas went a bit nervous. The boy began staggering and closed his eyes, he passed out. Arkas stand with his arms akimbo and sighed.

"O-kay! You can get up when you want!" Kuro flung open his eyes and victorious laughed at Arkas.

"Hey! You weren't off at all!" A head nut later they had their breakfast.

o-

Meanwhile Kuro had accustomed to Arkas very well, though he still hadn't said a word. Sometimes it appeared to Arkas not to be true, that this boy once was such helpless and weaken. Because little Kuro had evolved quite well…to a hyperactive nuisance.

Preferably he snitched Arkas' morning newspapers or his spectacles from the breakfast table and had lots of fun being chased by the man. Astonishingly he had quite a speed for a two-year-old child!

When a straying dog lost itself on the plot of land, it was welcomed with a feral hiss, than the boy jumped on its back and scratched it. Arkas just could wonder why a child possessed such extremely sharp fingernails.

After a month he fixed a sign on the fence: Caution guard cat! Walk into on own danger! Trespasser may be killed!´´ Many people already had complained about his little charge, but it was ok for Arkas. He anyhow liked visitors, so Kuro was allowed to beat down everyone dropping in.

After Evelyn had begged to Arkas on her knees for forgiveness, he wanted Kuro to kick her out, but the boy was occupied too much with the little wool ball she brought with her.

So after some time Arkas allowed her to visit Kuro as often as she liked. Whenever she came to see him, she presented him something to play with. Mostly he liked that colourful picture book with the little kitties.

o-

It took some time until Arkas grasped Evelyn's intention to teach a new word to the boy with every gift. Indeed Kuro understood every word, he could attribute them correctly to every item, but this didn't mean that he showed some motivation to speak them.

Arkas was despairing, something blocked the boy. No matter what he did, no matter how much Kuro trusted in him, the boy kept mute.

So Arkas could help him to cope with his problem, if the lad would tell what depressed him! The strong man never expected how hard it would be to bring up a child.

Evelyn again and again tried to be a kind of mother to the boy but for some reason he refused to that. Arkas as well was the only one by which the boy let himself be embraced or anyway touched. When Evelyn tried to pet his head, he immediately flinched.

"Arkas! What are you doing to him! This child has a totally disturbed relation to physical proximity!"

He sent Kuro out to play; as for him the boy was looking too much interested in this conversation.

"I'm doing bloody nothing to him, me he likes! Besides, what you're expecting of a child that laid days next to a damn dead woman! Of course he has a disturbed relation to physical proximity, for god's sake! But we should worry 'bout his disturbed relation to speaking at first, or what!"

She had to agree with him in that point. If they solved this problem, the rest would possibly follow itself… hopefully.

o-

One year had past and still Kuro did not speak, however he otherwise was much further than most of the children at his age.

And even though he was making lots of mischief, Arkas decided to let him stay alone at home for longer periods. After all someone had to earn the money, they could not life just of fish.

Although Kuro had developed a certain affinity to fish! As soon as Arkas roasted some, the little one was magically drawn into the kitchen. Chicken also savoured him, meat in general, just vegetable did not attract him very much.

In principle he was only eating things that had have at least two eyes, so potatoes yet went with it. Arkas' regular phrase at lunch was: "Eat your green-stuff you anti-vegetarian!" And at such a hyperactive child some more proteins and lipids wouldn't harm.

But meat costs money, so Arkas had to went out for fishing, or helping to build up houses. Not many people moved to the little island, just sometimes pirates burnt down some houses. Arkas couldn't understand these idiots, what had this in common with glorious piracy!

And Kuro almost always stayed home alone. Usually he still slept when Arkas came back, but if he was awake, he could do what ever he'd like to. There was just one rule: Demolishing nothing! Little Kuro followed this rule… mostly.

o-

It had been stormy out there on the sea. Arkas had to fight hard not to have his boat capsized and his catch was rather meagre. It took him lots of time; he actually wanted to be at home long ago. Grumpy and with a just half filled bucket of fish he started his way back.

Kuro interim had applied his time relatively useful, from his sight at least. He namely realized the plan on which he had worked on for already a while.

Foremost he had to push the big table to the kitchen cupboard, which was really hard work. To push the chair to the table wasn't much easier as well. In several trials he was piling up some books on the table until it was high enough to reach the cupboard.

At last! He opened the door and tried to get out the stuff. Apparently his construction wasn't fully ripened, the book pile started toppling, while he was holding these strange things in his hands. Seconds later he fell together with six thick books and the cupboards content onto the hard floor.

A bit perplexed he sat up. What had been in that cupboard? He looked around, everything was scattered on the ground. Strong stinking strange brown stuff that somehow crumbled and fluffed. And the other things?

A sharp pain stung through his hand, he had cut himself on the broken glass. This water really looked weird… sometimes ruby, sometimes slightly golden but like normal water, too. And it smelled so sharp, that it was nearly burning in the eyes.

This plan really did not pay! Possibly beside this multicoloured picture books, lying between all the useless stuff, but they were totally soaked.

o-

Arkas had brought his catch to the fish-store and was now nearly at home, when the sky cleared up. With the appearance of the sun his mood improved decisively.

When he entered his house a peculiar pong tickled his nose, actually it smelled not bad, but strange somehow. What did it smell like? He needed a moment to recognise the odours… Wasn't that tobacco, wine and whiskey? But it was impossible; he had packed away these things!

He followed the smell and was nearly blown out of his shoes when he entered the kitchen. There on the floor sat his little foster child amid spilled whiskey, broken glass of wine bottles, which had been older than the boy, and soaked tobacco. Hopefully the lad wasn't aware of what he was leafing through!

He innocently looked up to Arkas and was happy to see him again. Arkas was fuming, the brat had done some shit before, and he coped with this. He had just given him one damn rule and not even this one he followed!

°This brainless impish scallywag! Had been my best whiskey, I got that from the Grand Line damn it! Never going to get there 'gain! °

Arkas hands clenched to fists, really he was hot-tempered person and this boy had strained his nerves yet too much. He could not hold himself calm his rage overwhelmed him. In this moment the boy realised, having done a mistake, but it was to late! Arkas lifted his arm to strike.

"YOU DAMN CRAPPED JERK!" and he brutally punched into the little one's face.

His head banged backwards on the hard ground; with watery eyes he looked at Arkas. This made the man even madder of rage again he raised his hand.

"DADDY PLEASE!" Inches from Kuro's face he stopped.

"…What've you said?" Arkas shoved up his glasses. The little one protected his head with his arms and sniffled.

"…I…I'm sorry…I didn't wanted to… I…" His voice broke down, Arkas calmed himself.

He had compassion with the child, he hardly recognised himself! The boy felt how he got gently held in someone's arms.

"Alas Kuro… so what to do with you?" Arkas rage had faded away.

Kuro spoke… he appeared to have surmounted his trauma… even if this wasn't the quite best method to cure a heavy mental breakdown…

o-

Arkas turned his nose up at Kuro.

"You smell as if ya' d come directly from a port's shady dive!"

He placed the boy under the shower and turned up the warm water. Kuro began to feel better, he had been really shattered but now he appeased.

Wrapped in a fluffy warm towel, he now sat on the kitchen table and watched Arkas mopping up the alcohol. Suddenly he jumped down and dashed into the bathroom, surprised Arkas looked up.

Some minutes later, little Kuro came back dragging a large water bucket after him.

"Gonna help you…" Arkas considered whether the pail wouldn't be to big for the boy, in the very moment this one stumbled…

The bucket discharged on Kuro, soaked to the skin he sat amongst a water puddle and peeked completely stunned. Arkas was rolling on the floor in laughter it was just too comical.

"Tis' not funny!"

If he hadn't got such a cute child's voice, Arkas certainly would have stopped, but so he had to laugh even more.

Sulky Kuro marched into the bath, tugging his sodden towel, dripping after him.


	5. Don't shoot!

"Kuro, would you PLEASE go out an' play with your cat? I'm busy!" Arkas sat between mountains of letters and bills, he seemed to be obvious stressed. Nervously he shoved up his glasses. "Yeah it's ok... I'm gone!" disappoint the boy with the black-turquoise hair scuttled out. A pitch coloured kitten joined him. One afternoon it just had followed him and not even Arkas managed to chase it away. Kuro liked the little kitten very much and the kitten liked Kuro. For hours it let him fondle the white spot on it's breast or romped around with him about a wool ball. It was Kuro's only friend, Arkas didn't want him to go into the village, so he couldn't find friends. "Wait Noir! Daddy said we're not allowed to go into the forest!" Kuro rushed after the cat, actually he was much faster than her, but it was funny to pretend he couldn't overtake her. No one anyhow was faster than him, so why hurry? Regardless, he must not go into the wood, that flanked the village. "Noir…? Where're you?" He stroked through the underbrush, looking out for his little fellow.

Suddenly someone crashed into him, both plunged onto the earthy ground. "Ouch! Jackass! Watch where I'm runnin'!" The voice sounded very young and female, from behind them a second voice rang out. "Yer're not escaping me! Damn pirate!" Kuro was dragged on his feet roughly and somebody held something cold and hart against his temple. "I got a hostage! If ya come closer… I'll shoot him!" Kuro started shivering, in front of them, now a boy with short brown hair and green eyes appeared behind a bush. "Hey! That's unfair! We said: No hostages!" As answer he got a childish sinister laughter. "Wuahahahahaha! In war, everything' s permitted!" The little black cat stroked round her masters feet, he appraised the situation as extremely dangerous. "Ok! If everything's permitted… one life counts less to save thousands!" Cold sweat arose on Kuro's forehead, he didn't mean him, did he? "P…Please listen! … I dun even know you guys!… Please, DO NOT shoot me! Please dun!" Sympathetic the boy looked at him from his green eyes. "Sorry pal, we all got to bring some sacrifices! I'd say you better cover your ears!" Kuro slapped his hands over his ears and pinched his eyes shut. He heard something blasting and felt his hijacker twitch. Kuro still lived! The brunette boy hollered. "Got y'! I shot y'! An y' bloody know I did!" Kuro took his hands down, beside him the girl coughed, than hollered back. "Fine! But if I conk, I take him wi me!" She pressed the cold thing harder to his temple and loudly shouted BANG!´´ than towed him down on the grass. He hardly twigged something now. "We're dead! But you know that if you cross your fingers and if you count from one to ten, you can get up of the ground again! It doesn't matter, the whole thing's just a game!" She started counting and invited him to join in. Still confused he followed her example, than they got up.

The boy dashed towards them. "Haha! I won! I won!" The girl tapped the dirt from her pants, her grey-blue eyes sparkling aggressive. "Sure, but just 'cause I popped into him! You'd never overtaken me without that!" She turned to Kuro, but first had to fish some leaves from her black-brown hair. "He, you've by the way been a great hostage! Nearly believed ya' re really scared!" She grinned at him, Kuro blushed. After all he really had had fear, with still shaky hands he took Noir on his arms. "Oh by the way, I'm Kira. This' Kagami. What's yer name?" For a moment he truly couldn't remember his own name. "Well… Kuro…but… do you really have to play such silly games!" Smiling the both of them nodded and reached him their hands. "Hi Kuro! How old are ya?" Prying they looked at him, he lived at Arkas' since three years now, but never had came across other children yet. He wondered about them, being smaller than him. "I'm five." Kira's jaw flapped down. THAT one was supposed to be five? "Stop talking crap! You're bigger than Kagami an he's six! Besides, I'm two years older than you and taller than him, but still ya're bigger than me!" Kuro scratched the back of his head, where the hell should he know from, why he was taller than them. "Erm… my dad's really pretty big, too. An he always wants me to eat my vegetable… 'Cause it makes me big an strong, he says. But usually I feed it to Noir!"

He grinned and caressed his kitten, the others laughed, too. "Hey that's a brilliant idea for next time's broccoli! You're quite clever… for a five year old… Ey! You wanna be our friend?" This offer from Kira he had not expected, actually they hardly new him ten minutes. "O yeah! That'll be cool!" We need someone who's clever! Ya know I'm damn strong, just missing someone shrewd, we are!" Kira passed Kagami a head nut and smiled at Kuro. "So what's up? You're gonna join us!" Embarrassed he tickled Noir behind her ear. Kira's glance was roaming from the cat to him, back to the cat and back to him again, then she smiled and tried to pet the kitten. "Don't! Noir hates strangers! She'll gonna scratch you!" Kira wasn't discouraged and stroked the kittens fur, immediately it started to purr. It even allowed the girl to take it onto her arms. Kuro was amazed. "Cats somehow like me…" Kira cuddled with the kitten, meanwhile Kagami seemed to be less elated. "I like dogs more, they're not that stubborn!" Disapproving Kuro stared at him. °How can one fancy dogs instead of cats! That bloke's nuts!° But he had made his choice, if Noir let herself caress from her… "Ok, I'm in…"

o-

Three children sat on the quay wall and let dangle their legs. Kagami was blinking into the sun. "I'd like an apple!" Kira, who actually was placing Noir on her head, considered shortly. "Hey, me too. What 'bout you Kuro?" He twitched his shoulders, apples were sweet but not really his thing. "D' you even got money? Me not!" Kira and Kagami looked at each other, none of them had money. "Nope… but we can get' em, even so." Noir jumped from Kira's head to Kuro's, this one didn't really understand his friends. "How you mean that?" Kira slapped his shoulder on what Noir slipped from his head and desperately tried to hold on to him with her claws. "Well… snitch' em!" Kuro nearly fell over into the water, he obviously was against steeling apples from the market, beside of this, Noir was currently skinning his back. "Oh c'mon Kuro! We wanna have apples! Just have to deal that no one catches us!" Both looked at him with big eyes and shouted Please!´´ until he sighed. "Ok. I'll conceive something…But you gotta be quiet!" They cheered and took place on the ground at his feet. He closed his eyes and wasn't caring about the other two any longer. After some minutes he stood on the port wall. "So, listen and do exactly what I'll say!"

A loud crying made the market women attentive. A little girl with dark hair stood on the marketplace and wept heartbreaking. "Oh tot what happened?" The woman from the fruit booth kneeled down to the girl, which was rubbing her eyes. "Wuuaaee! He took away my kitty!" She pointed to a boy with black hair and big ears, who was holding a cat in his arms. The market women turned round to him and looked angry. "What? Nope! That's not true! It's mine!" Kira ran to him and poked him into the side. "You're daft! It's my puss!" Tears were floating over Kira's cheeks. The market women built a circle around the squabbling children. "Aren't you that naughty urchin of Arkas! Give the cat back to her!" While all focused their attentions on these two, no one noticed a third child sneaking to the fruit booth and lugging away a whole basket of apples. The woman yanked the cat out of Kuro's hand and passed it to Kira. She looked at the kitten and than called out. "Ups… That's not mine!" And both dashed out of the village. First after an hour the women realized that a creel of apples was missing.

On a grassy hill three friends laid on their backs and enjoyed their catch. "Oh boy Kagami! How'd you carry all that apples! They're bloody heavy, I mean!" He fished himself another fruit out of the basket and spoke with full mouth. "I'm simply brawny! Call me Kagami: strongest man on earth! But you really conned 'em Kira, with all that crying an tears an so'n!" She yawned and stretched out on the soft grass. "Without 'lil buddy we'd never done it! Was his idea, that with the eye rubbing for making me cry. Great plan that, Kuro!" This one wasn't eating an apple, he just relished the warm sun on his face and the tender purring of Noir, which was laying on his tummy. "Oh bullshit! That's nothing special! Everyone could invent this." He fondled over Noirs fur, the purring went louder. "Hey! Don't be that self-effacing! When I say it's a great plan, than it does being one!" Kira sat up and looked at him, the sun was dazzling her a bit. "Well… that's right! None's that cunning cerebral as me!" Before he knew the other two fell upon and tickled him. "Sing hymn of praise to Kuro of the thousand plans!" Kira roared, hissing Noir jumped out of the heap coiled up on the grass and dozed on. "Hahahahahahah… no tickling… Please… hahahahahah… stop… it! Get off!" But they showed no mercy with him until all of them laid laughing and out of breath on their backs again.

o-

"Hey Kuro! Y' comin' out?" Kagami and Kira stood in front of the just a split wide opened door, Kuro behind it. Carefully for Arkas not to hear it, he whispered. "I… My dad says I haven't got to play with you." Kagami shook his head and snorted disparaging. " Well, my mum says I haven't got to play with you neither! But take no notice of parents, they're soft!" Kuro looked around, his father was seen nowhere, he really liked to go out. Actually he must learn, but making the village unsafe with these two meant much more fun. He loved his father, but sometimes he was just indeed fairly strict to him. Besides Evelyn moved to the mainland a month before, now even less visitors came and Kuro was terrible bored. The books standing in their house, he almost red all of them. "Well… ok!" He forced himself through the door and the three loped to the beach.

"Kagami is the marine soldier and you'll be the mad scientist that wants to destroy the world. And me… I'm the beautiful, helpless virgin you've kidnapped!" Kuro raised an eyebrow, he copied that from Arkas. "Why d'hell do I always have to be the mad scientist!" Kagami twitched with the shoulders as if this would be pretty obvious. "Well 'cause you know all that cool words!" Kuro sighed and seized a coloured stone on which he chalked up a clock. "If you'd read a book, you'd know such words, too. Besides! Why can't Kira play it? She's just as good!" In this very moment Kira fell about laughing, none understood why. Kuro looked at her, questioning. "My! I just considered…If I'm playing the scientist… you'll be the beautiful, helpless virgin… An then I imagine you in a pink miniskirt!" She snickered, while Kuro's eye twitched, he blushed and yelled. "You're not yet even wearing one! Shut up! Just start playing!" Still giggling she crouched and Kagami hided behind a tree.

Kuro cleared his throat. "Muahahahahaha! Zees thoughtless marines weel never find me! Here, we are safe, me graceful sweet 'eart!" He grabbed Kira on her shoulders and dragged her a few steps with him, she defied to it. "I will never marry you, you psychopathic monster!" He tugged her closer to him and kissed her. "Whew! You bet you weel!" Than they turned aside and spitted disgusted onto the sand. "Bua! Kira you've dribbled!" She hissed at him. "How d' bloody hell should I know ya'd cuddle me?" He rubbed with the back of his hand over his mouth and spited once more. "When I'm playing, I'm doing it professional!" She kicked against his shin and told him to warn her before, next time! In this moment Kagami jumped out from his hiding place, jogged Kuro aside and snapped Kira. "I'm marine's highest officer and you're arrested mady!" Kuro grabbed his coloured stone, showed it to them and maniacally laughed. "My name's professor Howe an' zees bomb I 'old, eet can destroy ze 'emisphere, I've primed it, I've timed it to explode! Unless you let me out of here!" Both simultaneous shouted NO!´´ Kuro twitched with his shoulders and rolled with his eyes. "No? Then I suggest you'd cuver up your eears!" He counted down from three to zero and then yelled BOOM!´´ All three threw themselves on the ground, played dead and crossed their fingers, when suddenly… "KURO!" Arkas snatched his ears and dragged him home. "OW! Daddy! My ears!" Kira and Kagami looked after him, saddened, they really had liked to play with him longer. "Thereby his ears are yet big enough!" Kira shook her head and donated her mate a punch into his side.


	6. Omen of destiny

Chapter 6: Omen of destiny

Kuro rubbed his ears and awaited his scold.

"Kuro, you're still quite young…" The boy sharpened his ears, that didn't sound like a scold?

"But regardless you're right clever and strong… and tall." He heard that from all the people he met, so what did his father want from him?

"I think it's time, that you learn how to defend yourself… and that with a weapon!" Kuro twitched; beside of the games he played with his friends, he was actually quite pacifist. Arkas leaded him out to behind the house, where he already had prepared some things.

Targets, handguns, a wooden dummy and a short-sword. He took the sword in his hands and showed the boy how to hold and strike with it, than he demonstrated how one had to attack one's opponent.

"Well now you try it on this burglar here!" He pointed at the dummy and remembered the boy on what he just had taught him. Kuro closed his eyes and concentrated on his opponent´´. He breathed deeply and felt his heart beating in a regular rhythm. He putted one foot before the other…and then did something quite different from what Arkas had told him…

He dashed on pushed away from the ground, twirled the upper part of his body aside elegantly and let the blade glide through the wood. Smooth he landed on the tips of his toes and dropped onto his bottom by dismay as the dummy's head rolled in front of his feet. Arkas shoved his glasses up.

°That had been a perfect strike! What a talent! Aimed implemented like a sword master! Lad, you executed him. What's there in you?° The boy shivered and let fall down the sword.

"Wha… What did I do currently, Daddy?" Arkas calmed him, pressed a pistol into his hand and placed him in front of the target. It was around 10 m away from them, he explained the handling.

"Lay your forefinger around the trigger, like this and your thumb on the cock. It's this thing here. So you focus the target, then cock the gun. And when you're ready, pull the trigger. C'mon try it!" Kuro's hand shook, he shot and hit the middle, Arkas placed the target 10m more far. The boy slowly began to calm, this was much easier than the thing with the sword… he seized and again hit exactly straight.

"Hey you're good! Shall I put it even more away?" Kuro nodded, put on and made a clear shot just before Arkas had really posed the disc. "Whoa! You're quite a natural talent! But can you do it when the target's moving!" The boy coldly shrugged, Arkas noticed that there was an enormous difference between this perfect shots and the perfect sword strike before… but he could not tell what…

"Ok, lad! Propose a target!" Kuro looked round a while, then he seemed to have found something.

"How about that blackbird there?" He pointed somewhere to the village, Arkas couldn't see a bird…

"Well there! At the market place! It's just one blackbird there flying round the fountain! The others are sparrows!" Arkas was slightly confused, did the boy wanted to kid him?

"You don't really want to tell me that you can see a blackbird from here to the marketplace! That's nearly 900 Yards!" Without answering Arkas, Kuro aimed, completely composed, without any emotion… That's it!

The shoots had been cold, insensitive, as if he wouldn't really be aware of so… soulless. And the sword strike before… ok… he didn't really knew what he did, but it was incredibly fervid, with his whole heart… he shot, from the village birds flew away, scared up.

"Come Daddy!" Arkas followed him, though he doubted the boy had even hit something.

"You see! Nothing! Would have been quite impossible as well!" Kuro went around the fountain and stooped for somewhat.

"Was already trying to fly away, I nearly stroke the sparrow next to it." He laid the dead creature into his father's hands, who couldn't believe his own eyes. ° A nape shot… a straight nape shot… on this distance, with such a small bird! °

Kuro strolled back, hands in his pocket, kicking pebbles in front of his feet.

o-

They walked home and Kuro gave back the pistol. He sat beside the sword and regarded it.

"Well Kuro, pretty clear what weapon fit's to you. On this distance! You're a born marksman!" Arkas putted the target and stowed the pistol away in its case.

"…No…" Arkas turned around, Kuro did not look up he still was regarding the sword.

"What no? What'd you mean?" Kuro took the sword and let his wrist gyrate. He stood up and looked Arkas straight in the eyes.

"I don't want to shoot, I wanna fight!" Arkas did not quite understand, where was the difference?

"That's the same, Kuro!" The boy raised the sword, shook his head and did a round and round strike.

"No… Shooting's something else… shooting is…cowardly! I mean… fighting is honourable! I mean where's the nobility, if one… guns down someone out of miles from a save hidey-hole? No matter how brilliant it may be to hit from such a distance… The other one has anyway not a damn chance to defy… That's lazy an cowardly! I don't wanna be that in any case!" Disgusted he shook his head.

"I wanna look into my opponents eyes and prove to him, that I'm the superior in a fair fight! … I don't wanna see him just topple down…I wanna…" he glided with his fingers over the blade and cut himself, blood dripped onto the ground. Arkas wasn't quite sure, whether this happened to be a random accident.

"What'd you want to?" Kuro put the bleeding finger into his mouth and licked it off. He closed his eyes and let the sword rotate.

"I wanna… be connected with my opponent… I wanna… feel him dying!" He opened his eyes and within them Arkas could see a fire blazing so much passionately; he nearly forgot that the boy standing in front of him was hardly seven years old.

"But … one sword… that's… I dunno… it's somehow disproportionate…" Arkas nodded, he knew what the boy meant, he drew his daggers out of their sheaths and gave them to him. Kuro balanced their weight in his hands, lightly embraced the hilt and leaped lissom like a cat onto the wooden dummy… did he even hit it? It seemed to be still intact but as a soft breeze touched it, it fell into pieces.

"… Better … but not well… The blades ought to be longer… the wounds would be more heavy… and it ought to be more blades!" Arkas rubbed his forehead. °More? How the lad wants to do this? ° He took the daggers back from him.

"More! You probably can fight with three swords if you take one between the teeth. But that's maximum!" Kuro regarded his hands he turned them around several times and looked at his fingernails.

"That has to work in an other way, too… if I didn't had to hold the swords… perhaps, if they were directly connected to me…" Arkas laughed and skimmed over the boy's head.

"You can let ya nails grow! But before that come eating supper first!" Kuro stood still he didn't thought this to be funny, that stuff really bothered him!

"Actually it's not that athwart, from the main idea…" Slowly it went too much for Arkas, he turned round and did something he hadn't for a long time… He simply clamped Kuro under his arm and carried him into the house.

"You're clever yet, little boy! Something will occur to you! But you're just seven those things shouldn't fret you now!"

o-

"That doesn't have to, does it?" Kuro went backwards step-by-step and defied with hands and feet against Kira, who was in the deep conviction to have to put a pink bow tie around him.

"You bet! Nevertheless you'll be nine today, that's something really special!" She tried to pelt on him but he crouched trough under her arm. But then crashed into Kagami who captured him.

"Stay I say! You're namely quite grown up, but not yet such an old one like we are!" Kuro jolted his head here and there but it didn't help, two minutes later he was wearing an enormous pink bow tie round his neck.

"You're so inane… Hey what the… What you got in mind!" Kagami had grabbed him and was carrying him together with Kira to the beach; the sand was hot under their feet.

"Wait! You don't wanna! Na! You know I dun like--- Aaaaahhhh!" They lifted him high above their heads and SPLASH´´ threw him into the water. Coughing he emerged, seized for Kira's legs and drew her in, too. She wanted to hold on to Kagami but this one dropped with her into the sea.

Laughing they all frolicked in the water, chased each other, pushed each other under water and made dives from the cliffs. Suddenly Kuro listened up.

"Shish be quiet!" He looked at the waves it seemed as if his ears would twitch then he jumped into the water. He stayed down quite a while, emerged and had a fish in every hand, between his teeth a third one. Fighting for breath he mumbled.

"Someone hungry?"

Slowly the sun began to sink the three sat on the beach around a campfire and grilled their fishes.

"How'd ya do that, Kuro!" This one just shrugged and picked an eye out of the fish head. "You're gonna teach me when you know it?" Kagami grinned and nibbled on a fin.

"Yeah I do but don't hope for that in a short time!" Kira carefully took her fish from the skewer and puffed for it to cool down.

"An' what'd you got from your dad?" Kuro laid onto his back and sucked in the delicious smell at first.

"Some book…" With played surprise and unambiguous sarcasm in her voice Kira called out loud:

"Whoa! Coooool! An' what kind of book?" He swallowed his mouthful and sat up again, eating while lying was much too uncomfortable.

"Dunno… its title is wisdom´´ but I've not yet even opened it." The sunset painted the sea in a gentle red, thoughtful he regarded it. Kagami peered for Kuro's fish.

"Hey mate, you're eating that?" He had to repeat his question 'cause Kuro seemed not to have heard it the first time. He startled up from his thoughts.

"Hm?… Wha?… Yeah… nope… erm… just eat it Kagami." Shaking his head he looked onto the sea again and became really quiet. While Kagami captured his extra portion Kira slid a bit closer to Kuro. "What's wrong with you?" His eyes followed the soft backwash he didn't look at her when he answered.

"Hm?… nutin… everything's fine." She sighed and leaned against his shoulder. Hardly believable that he was two years younger than her and yet a whole head taller.

"Nutin' s not very much… It's your birthday lad! Shouldn't you fool around with us instead of staring onto the water?" He smiled out of his large black eyes and nodded.

"You're right… it's just… I've got this strange feeling, as if something still will happen today…" She assured herself that Kagami was still occupied, than slid even closer to him and whispered.

"Me, too… It's like you sense a day before that'll give a thunderstorm, right?" Surprised he looked down to her, that's exactly what he wanted to express.

"Yes… somehow. But this is something… worse…!" She nodded and scrubbed through his hair to cheer him up.

"You're thinking to much, Kuro! You got enough time for that when you're an adult. C'mon let's dig in Kagami in the sand!" She wouldn't have to plead him twice for this and scared away the sorrows from his thoughts.

"And did it please to my favourite son?" It was already dark outside when Kuro came home Arkas awaited him.

"Yeah it was damn funny I'm really dead beat." After they had unearthed Kagami after an hour they started a swimming competition. Though Kuro won it he was dragging himself into his room now, completely exhausted.

"Than off you go! It's late enough! Kid's need their sleep!" Arkas stood inside the door and smiled at him. Kuro yawned and let himself fall onto the bed.

"Night Daddy…" He snuggled into his blanket and slowly nods off.

"Good night, Kuro." Carefully not to wake him up Arkas closed the door and shoved up his glasses.


	7. Running not thinking!

Chapter 7: Running not thinking!

Around midnight Kuro was thrown out of his sleep by a loud knocking. Someone hammered onto their house's door; in the living room light was still shining. Arkas opened the door and Kuro heard several persons entering the room.

"What da… What do you want here! You Bastards of the marine got nothing to do on my plot of land!" Kuro drowsy rubbed his eyes and glided down from his bed.

"Don't say you can't remember us, old man? We were here hardly seven years ago!" Barefooted Kuro tiptoed to the door and pressed his head against it for eavesdropping.

"This idiots trying to mess up with me? Oh those were you two?" Again footsteps were heard; apparently more men came into the house.

"Yes and at that time I promised you that it would have repercussion, remember!" Kuro twitched as he heard a glass bursting on the floor.

"Probably we can't take the brat from you, but we sorted something much better out, Arkas! Or should I rather say... Capitan Sica, the reaper!" Kuro didn't quite understand what these guys were talking of, probably he misheard because of the thick wooden door...

"You maybe retired a while ago but a reward of 40 million Berry is not lapsing for a pirate like you! And it says dead or alive! But why alive, if dead suffices?" Kuro started shaking, was his Dad really a pirate? That couldn't be true...

"Is that what you think? That I let myself be arrested by some jackasses like you!" Arkas was not even the slightest bit intimidated, Kuro heard somewhat clanking he knew that sound... Arkas had drawn his daggers.

"Boys! Show him no ones picking a quarrel with the marine!" What happened now Kuro could just guess he heard a lot of racket, wood, glass and bones splintering, shots, cries of pain. Suddenly someone crashed cruelly against the door from the other side. It was pushed open a split wide and Kuro fell backwards.

"Right this, men! Push him 'gainst that wall!" Kuro stood up and carefully peeked into the room. Five soldiers pressed the defying Arkas on a wall everyone was wounded. Arkas had received a grazing shot his specs were scratched a bit.

"Looks like you've gone old and turned weak in your retirement!" The soldier sneering laughed, Arkas spitted into his face. They took his daggers and gave them to their ostensible leader.

"Here Morgan! Beat him off! If you slaughter the swine, they'll gonna make an officer out of you!" The soldier grinned and slit up the left sleeve of his T-shirt.

"Yes you are Captain Sica, the tattoo on your arm's the proof... these daggers with the bones..." He jammed a dagger into Arkas' arm and drew it down through the flesh. The same he did with the right arm. Arkas pressed his teeth together, meanwhile Kuro behind the door watched traumatized. The soldier took Arkas' glasses, threw it onto the floor and trampled on it. It crunched when the glass shattered into thousands of pieces.

Kuro was like petrified and yet an incredible fieriness rose inside him. Now the marine's soldier pulled Arkas' daggers over his chest and without a warning he rammed them into his lung. Arkas coughed and spitted blood the soldier again stabbed him, again and again and again. Kuro's hands clenched to fists, his heart was rushing, he just heard blood murmuring in his ears.

Gradual Arkas stopped defying against being seized, blood streamed out of his mouth, black points dancing before his eyes. The soldier unclasped him and he sank onto the floor. One could hear some ribs breaking when the soldier ruthless trampled onto his back and laughed disgustingly. Suddenly he was thrown to the ground and someone was boxing him into the face, wild screaming. But these were no heavy punches...

The soldier grabbed for a dagger and stabbed without knowing where to. A childlike cry of pain resounded than someone took the attacker´´ from the soldier. He stood up and saw his colleague that held a hissing boy at his collar, with black hair and peculiarly yellow eyes. The boy's right hand bled.

"I know you! You're that brat from seven years before!" Kuro tried to kick and wave himself free, but he didn't manage to. He was living through a hellish deja-vue.

"Get off from my daddy you lousy bastards!" The soldier smirked at him and remembered delighted how he smacked this unnerving brat against the wall.

"Do you really think that guy is your father? God! You're naïve! That one is a pirate, he picked you up on the sea! Surely he just raised you to keep up his masquerade!" Kuro was calm with one second, no more murmur in his ears, the arms hanging powerless down, blood dripping from his hand onto the floor.

"That's... that's not true!" The soldier came closer to him Kuro could smell his rank breath.

"Oh you bet! Your Daddy´´ never really loved you!" Laughing they let fall the disillusioned boy and smashed some furniture while leaving.

Kuro crawled to Arkas and started a faint weeping suddenly he listened up.

"...Kuro... you cry-baby!..." Arkas coughed, his voice was not much more than a whispering.

"Is that... right... what he said... are you really a... pirate?" Arkas smiled in agony and shuddering laid a hand onto the boys shoulder.

"Yes...I was... a... pirate... and I'm... not your real father... but the other thing... it's a plain... lie!..." He coughed blood, Kuro snuggled at him. He gave a shit about Arkas being not his real father... for him he was!

"You have... to survive... understood? You have to... avenge me... yet!" His breath went heavier he was getting quieter and he hardly could speak a word. Kuro clutched into his slashed T-Shirt, a headache started...

"You're a cunning... unrelenting tot...hopefully you got... courage, too...!" For one moment Kuro saw a hazy vision in front of his eyes... golden hairs in the sunlight... far out upon the sea... He had been fainted; Arkas was holding his bleeding hand with last energy. Kuro awoke.

"DADDY DON'T!" But all the entreaty would not avail. Arkas' hold loosened, his breath stagnated... he passed away. Hot tears ran down Kuro's cheeks, he laid next to Arkas one hour...two hours... three hours... he lost every feeling for time. Then he looked up for the first time... Everywhere blood and destruction, now he realized how much mutilated Arkas' body was. He dragged himself out of the house and vomited.

He tried to go inside, but he couldn't. Pictures flared up in his head, images of Arkas' death, how the soldiers tortured him, blood... everywhere blood... he had to leave... he ran away...

o-

On and on he ran without knowing where to, just away... away. He went faster and ran on. His hand was aching, his ankle kinked but he ran on and went ever faster. Five miles in front of him was the village, he didn't wanted to see someone, or talk to someone... just running. He tried to run faster... and it worked. The wind whipped into his face, his eyes watered, but he ran on.

He reached the village, heard the noise of the awakening life, he ran on. °Let me be fast enough, please! I don't wanna see them!° He ran on a painful tug went through his body. Suddenly everything was quiet. The people seemed not to move no one spoke to him... no one looked at him.

But he wasn't wondering. He wasn't thinking about it. He wasn't thinking at all. He was just running. Even when he left the village... no noises. Slowly his throat started burning. But he didn't stop running. The time for him seemed to stand still and yet it went lighter. Immobile animals awaked without noticing him. And he ran on.

Without thinking, without the dreadful pictures, completely absent... just running... running... His heart pounded against his chest. His lungs seemed to explode. But he didn't noticed it. In his head it boomed, meanwhile outside was silence. But he hardly perceived it. Sweat poured over his forehead. In his legs a jabbing pain. But he ran on.

No thought drove him... a subliminal instinct... Running not thinking. He ran and ran, didn't knew where he was. His heart was rushing, interim stopped for fractions of seconds. But he took no notice of the pain. His fingers were cold as ice. His breath went by fits and starts. His throat seemed to be pierced by thousands of little needles. But he ran on.

Passed animals and people that did not see him. His muscles cramped. His whole body thoroughly cried in pain. And he ran on. Suddenly like a thunder a voice broke through the silence.

"KURO!" and he heard it... he had ran and nothing he had seen or heard, but this voice.

"KURO! STOP IT!" He didn't stop, he didn't realise the words' sense at all. His brain had enough work with keeping his body running.

Kira ran behind him, she was as fast as him but she could not overtake him. Desperately she called for him, but he didn't listen to her. Her feet ached... just a little bit farer... she nearly had reached him... She clutched to his shirt. Ran with him and shouted at him.

"KURO! PLEASE! STOP IT!" For one moment his head twitched into her direction, did he noticed her? She ran on, he was so fast... she could hardly keep up with him. He breathed ever erratic – faster – jerkily- he coughed and ran... blood oozed out of his nose, in his ears tiny veins cracked open.

"STOP IT! OR YOU DIE!" He ran on but seemed to have noticed her. He looked aside.

"KIRA! GET OFF!" But she didn't release him just as he wasn't stopping. Now her lung began to ache, too. But she was not yet spitting blood unlike him. And then it happened... She stumbled and fell, but she did not unhand him... Shortly he faltered, overtaxed his body even more and dragged her with him.

The stony ground grazed her knees, but it was nothing compared to the pain that gradual forced itself into Kuro's consciousness. The coldness cut into his skin like billions of sharp blades. His palm bled heavier then before. His feet felt like he was running over glass splinters. His lung seemed to rip every moment but he ran on and on. Kira could not bear it any longer...

"FORGIVE ME KURO!" She waited for the right moment, pushed herself from the ground and jumped onto his back. She bit into his nape...

Instantly he stopped. All pain impacted in full strength onto his mind. The entire racket from outside all of a sudden recurred and crashed onto his tympanic membrane. His body stiffed, his knees gave in, he kinked. And yet before his head smashed onto the ground, everything went black.

o-

When he awoke he just felt the agonising pain, not his body, just the pain. His heart was still rushing like hell, as his breath did. But he was thinking again... Suddenly he turned around for vomiting, the second time this day. His stomach cramped, he had no control over his body.

Still black points flickered in front of his eyes. Where was he? Gradual he felt the cool grass on his skin and the volume lowered to a relative normal level. He was sopping, his face scarlet and scabby blood clung in the corners of his mouth. His breath appeared to him unnaturally loud... but it wasn't just his breath... in anguish he slightly turned his head.

Kira kneeled in the grass, she was heavy breathing, too. She also was scarlet, but her body could still carry her weight. She noticed him watching her out of half opened eyes and hissed at him.

"IDIOT! YOU COULD HAVE DIED!" He didn't knew what she was talking of. His lids went heavy; warmth spread inside him... a marvellous, painless, carefree warmth and a light so balmy and amiable...than everything was cold grey morning once more. Someone slapped him again and again hard in the face.

"DAMMIT! STAY HERE!" Hot tears fell onto his skin, slowly he opened his eyes, Kira kneeled above him. Desperation was written in her eyes till she saw that he still lived. She let herself sink into the grass; they were just lying there... quite a while. Until Kuro tried to speak...

"What... was ... this?" She starred into the sky that slowly coloured from morning-red to a tender blue.

"I don't know what it's called... In fact I didn't knew, you can do it, too..." He starred together with her into the sky; his energy did not suffice for more.

"Why... haven't I heard... something...why... did nothing move...?" Slowly she turned her head to him, she had to press her teeth together... that pain...

"Because you ran faster, than they move. That's why you heard my... 'cause I nearly was as fast as you... I hadn't thought you were that fast..." He closed his eyes and tried to breath calmer, than he opened them again.

"What... did you mean with... dying...?" She looked at him, regarded his maltreated body and was astonished, he didn't realised it himself.

"Didn't you notice that? I know... if one's running for the first time, after it one is really shattered. But if you run that fast presently... I'm already often... but not that fast... And longer than ten minutes your body is actually not enduring it... And you nearly ran four hours... I mean and this at the first time... Your lung, there partly blood vessel and veins ripped, therefore you... breathed blood and your muscles... they burned all the oxygen they could get... and your heart...it can't... it can't beat as fast as it has to... that's why your brain isn't supplied with oxygen sufficiently... that's why we... switch off... if we overstress it... You could have been dead just as that."

He clenched his fist and rammed his fingernails into the cut, again deep red blood gushed forth from it.

"Daddy is... they got him...!" The pictures came back and a third time he had to vomit. Kira kept him upright for him not to suffocate within it.

"...I know... the major wanted to visit him... he did not trust those marine guys... he found him. And asked Kagami and me where you could be. We didn't knew... Right in this moment you passed us. No one saw you... just me..." He glanced into the sky again and his eyes filled with tears, he couldn't hold them back.

He felt cold and empty, was there any reason to live on? Kira put her coat around him and took him into her arms. He was taller than her and nevertheless he seemed to her so vulnerable. She emitted such warmth he occurred himself to be salubriously protected.

"I... I don't want to be alone, Kira... Please, don't go away... please?" She was two years older than him; a bit more mature so and now he almost was as helpless as a tad.

"Don't worry, I stay..." She was tired, she never ran that fast. She wanted to sleep, but Kuro needed her now...

"If you like... you can live with me in the orphanage...They're all very nice there..." She skimmed a black hair strand of his face. Slowly his breath calmed down, his eyes were closed, he was incredibly fatigued...

"... No... I'd like to stay at home... at... home..." Gently he fell asleep. Kira sighed and laid her head onto his shoulder. Her lids fell close when a new day dawned and she too slept in peacefully.

**

* * *

**

**1.Note:**

**Just want to note it's now around 5:43 am and I wrote trough the whole night. So don't wonder why both are so shattered! And to fully feel into the story you have to be tired! Or you can't grasp the whole atmosphere. Meow ...-;-... (Zzzzzzz)**

**2.Note:**

**Translation into English happened at 22.39 o' clock under the influence of lingering and gloomy songs and still an inexcusable lack of sleep.**


	8. The difference between boys and girls

Chapter 8: The difference between boys and girls

Against Kuro's will the major decided to accommodate him in the orphanage. He took nothing with him from home, beside of some clothes. Arkas' daggers he dug in, in a wooden box in the garden.

A last look he wanted to have at his former home, he walked through every room again, when he already wanted to go something crunched under his shoe. He bowed down and picked up Arkas' broken specs, although it was completely battered and not even the slightest splinter of glass in the frame, he put them in his pocket and took them with him.

He threw his suitcase into the closet and let himself falling onto the bed. Kira sat down next to him.

"Alas Kuro... But it's not so bad here! You'll see, we'll have our fun!"

He was not convinced of this. With most of the children he couldn't cope and he liked none of them. Right from the beginning he was an outsider, because he was more intelligent and taller than them, not to mention his tempo. Just Kira and Kagami, who visited them every day, were his friends.

Like before they were frolicking around in the village and did a lot of mischief, mostly suggested by Kira. Kuro just yielded the plans, while Kagami realized them. It took only a short time until they were known and feared as The Terror Trio´´ in the village.

Slowly Kuro began recovering from the experiences of that night. Kira was relieved when he laughed again and fooled around with her, for month he had just sat depressive at the beach.

It was now almost a year since Kuro lived in the orphanage, soon he would celebrate his tenth birthday. But really looking forward to it... he couldn't. Especially as a week before Arkas' glasses suddenly disappeared from the hideout Kuro had placed them in.

When he noticed it he nearly went mad, he rummaged through all of his stuff, turned everything upside down and still couldn't find them. He thought of the other kids that they maybe would have snitched them. Corresponding those hadn't a nice time.

But for he wasn't able to figure out where the specs were, he had to come to terms with having lost the last memento of his father. His mood was rather obnoxious at this time.

At the morning of his tenth birthday he didn't really fancy to get up, but Kira kicked his ass out of his bed, in a very gentle way. Kagami and her wanted to celebrate with him, of course not at the sea, this would still have become too much for him.

He actually had a pretty good day. Kagami presented him a book about pirates, Kuro had started to interest in them since he knew his father had been a pirate and reading was lots of joy for little bookworm Kuro. From the orphanage's sisters he got some new shoes, for his own were quite threadbare from the enormous quantity of running.

Kira's present was not really a substantial one, she promised to teach him how to run´´ and still keep control over his body. When it darkened Kagami said goodbye. He had to go home to his parents; sometimes Kuro was slightly envious about this... about his mate having a family.

Kuro got ready for sleeping when Kira came back to him once more. She held something hidden behind her back. Kuro was at the moment occupied with buttoning up the bodice of his extremely green pyjama.

"Happy birthday, Kuro!" She held the present right to him. He looked up from his buttons.

"Huh? You've already prese...?" In front of him in her hands laid a little black case. He took it and carefully let it snap open, when he saw what was concealed inside, he felt around Kira's neck.

"I thought you would be happy if they were fixed, so I secretly took them and brought them to the optician. He bent the frame right and put normal glass in it." Kuro was so thankful for her he had Arkas' specs back and they looked like specs again, with the circular glasses and the black frame.

"Kira, you're so lovely... even though you're a girl!" She knew to appreciate this declaration. From Kuro's lips it was actually a heavy compliment!

When Kagami came to visit them the next day he was slightly confused. Kira took him aside and whispered in his ear. "For Christ's sake, say nothin! Just let him do how he likes!" So Kagami said nothing about Kuro wearing Arkas' specs.

Two days later certainly the other children started scoffing at him. Who was wearing glasses he didn't need, especially such large and odd! Kuro's eyes indeed were still extremely sharp on the other hand it was normal window glass in these specs.

The other children not liking him, didn't bother Kuro very much anymore, but that they were making fun about his glasses hurt him, though he didn't confess. Once more the boy menaced to sink into depression, but he didn't stop wearing the specs.

It although hurt Kira to see Kuro this way. Didn't he endured enough already? Had these idiots to deride him every day of the year? Couldn't she do something? Kuro would have got a plan surely, but him she really couldn't ask. She would have to think about that herself.

One evening she pussyfooted from the orphanage to Kagami, this one was indeed already sleeping but she got him out of the bed very fast. With him she talked about her scheme because without him it wouldn't succeed. She obviously was as clever as Kuro.

It was Kuro's eleventh birthday. He meanwhile had developed to some kind of lazybones; drowsy he grabbed for his glasses on the bedside table and put it up. He looked around, no view of Kira. And this even though she mutated to a late sleeper, too

He went to the breakfast and heard the children laughing already from far. "What batty glasses! Seems the guy is infectious!" Kuro was still too tired to really listen to them. He walked in the canteen and searched for a seat.

"Kuro! Here! Come between Kagami and me!" Kira waved for him, her eyes sparkled friendly behind her glasses... wait a moment... What did her eyes! Kuro shook his head surely he must have seen this wrong. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. No he saw completely correct. Kira wore specs with oval glass and metallic-purple frame.

When he came closer he noticed that Kagami also was wearing specs, with small round glasses.

"Folks, what... what's going on here?" Of course it was obvious to him what went on there, those were real friends.

"We're sorry that we can't present you something. But we had to spent the whole money for the glasses!" Kuro puffed his mate in the side. "Man! Kagami! You two are the best friends one could wish for!" Because if one is with his friends, the others can mock as much as they want to.

o-

"Kagami! Can I speak with you? I mean, alone?" Two boys stood close together one wore a black jeans and a simple white T-shirt with a bowing cat on it. Although he was just fourteen he was quite tall and lanky.

"Course mate! Where can good old Kagami help you?" Uncomfortable the boy shoved up his glasses with his middle finger and skimmed back his black-emerald hair. "Can't tell you this here... Let's go to my!"

They left the village and went to a house outside it was slightly squalid but Kuro felt better there than anywhere else. Shortly after his thirteenth birthday he had run away from the orphanage and came back to here. He sat down at the table in the kitchen.

"Tell me... is it actually... is it actually... normal that..." Obviously Kuro was slightly embarrassed of talking about the topic he wanted to discuss. And the stuttering bored Kagami.

"Spit off!" Kuro sighed and took all his courage. "Is it actually normal that I'm loosing control about my body as soon as I'm seeing a fair lass!" So this was it! Kagami came closer to Kuro and put up some sort of fatherly glance.

"Ah, my friend, at last you reached puberty and discover the enjoyment of your sexuality. It is quite normal what happens to your body, you change, you become a man! Alas my little boy grows up so fast! sob!"He had laid an arm around Kuro's shoulders and played very theatrical. Slightly bewildered Kuro got up... something else was bothering him still.

"So... this is quite normal... the thing with the tail...?" Kagami laughed and nodded he leaned back with his chair.

"Yeah, completely but between us men! Never call it tail when a gal is in the room! They don't like words like these!" Kuro didn't really understand, but if Kagami said it, it had to be right, hadn't it?

"And is... is yours... that uncontrollable and long, too?" Kagami raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Now don't show off round here! Course when a sexy chick is in range of vision, you'll probably get a hard-on! But surely I got the longest! So how large is yours alleged! Of course not larger than mine!" Very self-confident and crude he grabbed the crotch of his pants.

Kuro shrugged. He'd never really thought about once measuring it.

"Dunno, leastways a meter or so maybe more. No clue!" Kagami nearly suffocated in laughter.

"A METER! Man stop kidding! Probably a decimetre! But never in fucking live a meter!" He couldn't stop laughing. Kuro was slightly resentful, maybe he didn't measure but he still could guess!

"I'm telling you! Shall I show it!" There was a loud BANG´´ and Kagami had hit the floor with the desk at which he had clenched for not falling. Slowly he got up again.

"Tiny tip, Kuro! You're not showing your genitals to people!" Kuro's eyes widened in consternation and he had to cough, this was too much for him.

"WHAT! I'm not talking about this you perverted crackpot! I'm talking about my tail!" Kagami didn't really understand him. Obviously his mate was much more confused by the awakening of his sexuality than Kagami had thought.

Kuro opened the zipper of his trousers and drew them down a bit. Kagami protested at the top of his voice but then Kuro turned round. Kagami just saw his back with the circular scar above his coccyx, beside of this he still had his black boxer-shorts up.

Kuro breathed deeply and Kagami couldn't believe his eyes. There where Kuro's scar was, a long black tail emerged from his spine, like a big cat's one, a panther or somewhat like this, but with the for Kuro typical shimmer that had turned from turquoise to emerald in his puberty now. Kagami's jaw flapped down. Kuro turned to him the tail whipped a few times through the air before it wound itself round his hips like a belt.

"Erm... Kuro... THIS is unmistakable not normal!" Kuro let hang his shoulders he had fear something like this. Then the stuff with the yellow iris and the sharp feline teeth wasn't normal, too.

"So you think I shouldn't tell someone about it?" Kagami nodded authoritative. That he definitely shouldn't! "Well you can tell it Kira. She's almost something like a lad." Kuro twitched; actually she was the last person he wanted to talk to about this at all...

"Hey Kuro... you're blushing!...Oh... I see!" He put up an allusive glance and grinned at the teenager with the cat's tail.

"You're in lo-oave!... My! How romantic!" Kuro's face was red like a tomato but it wasn't quite clear if this came from shame or rage. "I'm not!" It didn't sound very convincing. "Oh yes, you are!"

Kuro couldn't stand it to be teased by his mate, so he kicked him out. He leaned against the door with his back and sighed. Ok... perhaps he felt more for Kira than just friendship but this was actually irrelevant.

°She's so beautifully, her eyes like a clear mountain lake and she's smelling so well... beside she has a hot body...She could have everyone she wanted. Why then she should decide of all men for the scraggy freak with the immense ears and the long, hairy cat's tail?°

Kuro uttered an agonised yell and didn't fell better, realising that it actually sounded like caterwaul.

o-

Kagami had, communicative like he was, to run to Kira into the orphanage and tell from his discovery. Out of breath he arrived there and clutched at the door for not collapsing.

"KIRA! You won't believe what I've just seen!" Kira urged him to sit down at first and to calm down. He had run the whole way but he wasn't such a good runner like Kuro or the sixteen-year-old girl.

"Kuro... he's... he's got a... TAIL!" The sisters in the orphanage glared at him with warning eyes, he received a slap from Kira.

"Kagami, you're such a perverted swine! Of course he's got a ta.. You know what I mean. He's a man for hell's sake! But actually I didn't wanted to know that!" Kagami rubbed his cheek. Whew! That girl had a right one!

"Na! That's not what I mean! I mean he really got a tail at his back, like the kitten he had once!" Kira's facial expression was not to be interpreted but she seemed slightly puzzled.

"You mean like Noir, that ran away THAT night? Long with hair and such stuff?" Kagami nodded, Kira's obvious interest though worried him a bit. Before he went home he told her she shouldn't trumpet it everywhere. She agreed that this would be a stupid idea.

It was dark outside for a long time already, everyone was sleeping. Just Kira was still lying awake on her bed, starring at the ceiling onto which the moonlight drew patterns, and intensely contemplated.

°Well, well... so he can't just run´´... he although has a cat's tail... Whether he knows what a bedroom-gaze he got sometimes? I mean this is really rare... this resistless thing with the tiny stars twinkling in a his eyes, that makes me nearly swoon when he looks that way... And he's smelling so attractively well...°

In the moonshine no one could see her blushing. At the time when Arkas had died and Kuro was laying in her arms like this, there she had felt this enjoyable emotion for the first time. And now it was much stronger, every time she saw him... even when she just thought about him...

°Whether he feels the same way?... Surely not, he's not even in puberty... beside of this... there are enough makeup loaded, styled slags creeping around in the village and he really can get every girl he wants, with that eyes of him!... Why then he should decide of all girls for the one that rather joins a brawl than goes shopping?°

She wailed a bit, somehow it sounded like quiet meow. She turned round for sleeping and snuggled to something long and hairy that skimmed over her cheek.


	9. Flames in the ocean

Chapter 9: Flames in the ocean

"I told you to relax yourself, Kuro!" How should he relax when she was running next to him... and hoping... up and down... up and down... up and down... Kuro's eyes followed her movements like a hypnotised bunny.

°Damn! Stop staring at them!° When Kira looked aside for a moment Kuro slapped himself to clear his head. His hormones drove him mad again, if it would go on like this he would have to pay attention that he wasn't getting to hot´´...

"Well, ok. Little boy! On the count of three, we run! One, two, three!" She dashed forward, Kuro tried to slacken, control his breath and coordinate all movements. It wasn't quite easy for him because he was getting furious every time Kira called him little boy, though he was nearly half a meter taller than her.

Kira trained him now for one year and still he got some problems with the Running, especially as he did not manage to reach a speed like at that time. No matter how hard he tried, he maybe was invisible but he could not hold the tempo that long. Perhaps he was afraid of the consequences, nevertheless he nearly died once.

Five minutes their bodies worked on high level, than they took a break of fifteen minutes. At the beginning Kira had to force him to make a pause. Kuro was proud and stubborn; he overestimated his potential, although Kira called it colossal. But she didn't want to take the risk, that he would hurt himself or worse... the risk to loose him.

It was an unbelievable muggy and dry summer's day, they had started the training in the early morning, at this time it had already been unbearable warm. Meanwhile it was noon and the sun stood merciless burning in the sky. Not even Kuro fancied doing something but lying sweating in the yellow grass.

They took a long pause and although in the afternoon it hadn't cool done a bit Kira consisted on continue the training. They ran along the beach through the wind still air, the sand hindered their feet and impeded the training appreciable. They breathed heavy and sweated out off all pores.

Kuro let himself fall down into the hot sand; his throat was desiccated like a desert, his nose twitched. "Uaar... I'm soaked like hell!...I'm surely stinking like a pig...!" Kira let herself sink down and carefully smelled at his neck. The top of her nose tickled him pleasurable on his skin. A light tingling flooded through his body.

"...Well you're smelling quite tart, but still ok. Kagami's smelling worse when he's soaked in sweat." Kuro was happy that Kagami's parents went on a trip with him, when he would work hard enough, he probably could get Kira's attention. °... But not when I'm stinking like a decaying cat...°

He sat up and shoved up his specs, he dragged his shirt above his head, what wasn't quite easy for it nearly adhered on his skin as drenched as it was. Kira starred at him, actually he was embarrassed to do it for he knew he wasn't nearly as brawny as Kagami and all the village's girls were after that bloke... but it was simply too hot!

"I can't stand it anymore, I'll go into the water!" He stripped his trousers; they didn't wear shoes while Running... In his black shorts he ran through the hot sand and leaped into the water. Kira gazed after him, she could not dress off her bodice so easy... well she could... but not in front of Kuro.

She enjoyed seeing him running through the sand he wasn't a muscle-poser like Kagami. Ok, Kagami had shoulders wide like a closet, but Kuro was intelligent and humorous, beside of this she thought a svelte boy much more attractive than a crude bodybuilder. °...Mhm... what a tasty arse... When he's coming out now with his wet underwear... I'll think I'll faint...°

The heat was terrible for Kira but she did not dare to go into the water, Kuro floated on his back and enjoyed the pleasuring freshness. He looked to Kira, sweat pearls stood upon her forehead, but if he would ask her to join him, he surely would receive a box on the ear... Anyhow would she not want to swim with him.

Kira wiped the sweat from her forehead, the sun was low in the sky but still the heat drove her mad. And not just the heat, Kuro too... water drops on his body shimmered in the sun like sparkling diamonds.

"Kuro? Would you mind me to come in to you?" Kuro's mouth flapped open he calmed himself fast and shook his head... Kira would come to him, he couldn't believe it! Kira really would come to HIM into the water; he hadn't dared to imagine this!

Kira kept her clothes on; Kuro was slightly disappointed but happy though that she would at least share the same natural element with him. She dashed into the water and let herself fall, next to Kuro she emerged. She was wet through like him; the clothes of both adhered on their bodies and showed all contours clearly.

The fifteen years old regarded the girl, her long hair shimmered even darker now and laid smooth over her shoulders. Water drops ran over her cheeks like little stars when she looked up to Kuro. He looked gorgeous when his hair was wet and strands hang into his face. A little bit saucy and a little bit innocent but quite a huge bit sexy...

"Kira... hold still..." She did not understand why she should, but whatever Kuro said, she would do it. His hand came closer her head, when he touched her a wonderful tingling flew through every fibre of her body. She felt him wiping something from her hair.

"... There had been... a... jellyfish..." His hand sojourned still in her hair, she enjoyed this pleasuring prickle. Her hair was soft and warm; they laid smoothly on his skin. He too relished this feeling, but she would notice it if he would touch her any longer...

Though he didn't like to, he had to release her, but suddenly she laid her hand onto his. They did not speak, the understood each other without words. He skimmed through her hair and over her cheeks, her neck and her shoulders. She put her arms around his hips and cuddled up to him. Her head leaned against his chest; she looked up to him.

°I've got no plan! Say something... something romantic. You gotta capture her! Let your charm sparkle... what charm!° He searched through his memory for something beautiful, something that would deserved to Kira and was able to express his feelings... He looked into her grey-blue eyes...

"I want to be a tear of yours..." Kira hearkened up and searched in his unfathomable black, beady eyes.

"...I want to be a tear of yours... being born in your radiant eyes, peregrinating as a pilgrim over your divine cheeks and expiring in bliss on your paradisiacal lips..." He sighed slightly awkward and awaited Kira's surely destroying reaction.

"Kuro... I...I love you... since the very moment we met for the first time..." At last both were conscious of their feelings. They felt like they were created for each other, as if their genes would magnetize mutually. It seemed to be their fate, their destination, they belonged together...

He was unsure what to do, he hesitated, his gaze rested on her shirt. The contours of her breasts stand out clearly on it...She had inhibitions just has he had and felt his embarrassment. She released her embracement. He suggested doing something wrong and retreated a step, but she took his hands into her, although his were so much taller.

She put his arms around herself and gain cuddled up to him, encircling her arms around him. He lowered his head and smelled at her hair; there it was... this unique scent that fascinated him so much. She felt his chest lifting and lowering regularly; she listened to his heartbeat and petted over his back, like he did with her.

Kira could not see it when he blushed; she just felt a gentle, tender kiss on her forehead. Kuro laid a finger under her chin and lifted up her head softly. She surrendered to him when their lips met and they sank into the mild weighing ocean. Their tongues caressed each other and an intoxicating warmth spread in the young adults.

Slowly Kira's fingers slid down Kuro's back, devout fondling his skin. Her eyes were closed like his were; both savoured every moment of this gentle liaison. Gingerly Kira shoved her hands under the elastic band of his shorts, he twitched... Kuro opened his eyes and gave up the kiss, he loosened from her...

"Kira...I..." She laid a finger onto his lips; he didn't need to continue speaking. She hadn't knew if he was ready for this, she had not considered that despite of his height he still was two years younger than her... He had not been ready and in the end, she neither...

But there were other possibilities to epitomize one's flaming love for each other than letting body fuse with body. They seized each other in the genial warm water, without deeper intentions, only to be near to themselves and sense the others heartbeat, in the smooth sunset.

o-

"And? Something special happened while I was away?" Kagami's vacation was finished and so the Terror Trio sat on the quay wall again, like so often before and together they watched the seagulls that looked for fish.

"Na! Nothing important!" Kuro and Kira blushed, they had inadvertent answered at the same time and were now starring embarrassed onto their shoes. Kagami wasn't sensitive enough to interpret this incident right and the other two had decided to tell no one of their event. Kuro believed also that his mate would ridicule him, because nothing really had happened...

°Nothing! Perhaps in the eyes of a macho like him, but not for me...° Kuro had another idea of this than Kagami, this hadn't been NOTHING, this had been marvellous beautiful. Her skin was so warm and her kisses like downs on his lips... They would keep their liaison as a secret as long as they thought it to be necessary...

And it was much more exciting if one had to fear to be discovered every time. Kuro admittedly looked forward to go further with her, but he was also afraid of the enormous responsibility that laid on his shoulders, after all he did not want to make a mistake. He did not want to hurt her neither psychical nor physical, besides she still knew nothing of his long hairy appendix...

So in the next time they would stay at kissing and petting. This was leastways as equally romantic and thanks to Kira he had learned a new word: as equally ecstatic. Kira wanted to change the topic and asked Kagami what nice things he had experienced in his vacation.

"Huh? Erm... We've been to Rogue-town, you know! The place where Gold Roger died! It was so cool! Full off sinister guys and crooks! And lots of marines there! And of course pirates! Really every second man was a pirate and they had trouble with the marine every day! My parents didn't like that town very much!"

Kuro listened up. Pirates? Did he say pirates? This was interesting for Kuro, his friends didn't know that his father had been a pirate, but Kuro knew it. And he also knew that Arkas for real was a good pirate, even though most people thought there wasn't such thing as a good pirate.

What Kuro would prefer not to know was who was responsible for his father's dead, the marine! Personified in one soldier, meanwhile surely an officer called Morgan! This name he would never forget in his whole life just as the horrifying pictures... but Kira was very good in distracting him.

"Pirates, really? Man, I always wanted to see pirates! They are so cool, at least better than the marine!" His friends agreed with him, they too thought of the marine to be a rabble of phoney hypocrites. Every villager had to pay high taxes if he did not want some trouble with them. This was a complete protection money blackmail.

"Hey Kuro, when I'm grown up, I'll gonna be a pirate captain! If you like, you can be cabin-boy in my crew!" Kuro had to laugh loudly, he didn't know what he wanted to do when he was an adult, but to his ideas did surely not count to scrub the deck of Kagami's cutter. If he was going to be a pirate, he would be the captain and nothing else! But when he looked aside to Kira, perhaps he just would like an uneventful job that allowed him to spend a lot of time with a beautiful, young woman and finding tranquillity of the soul...

"But, Kagami! As a captain you gotta be clever! Especially if you want to mess up with the marine. And let's say the truth, you're just the man for the dirty jobs; you got no idea of leadership qualities! You actually consider an ukase for a guy that's to stupid to write his own name correctly!"

Indignant Kagami starred at him. "That's not true! I just say it's a stupid name! I mean no one's name is Ukase, or what! I mean, whose parents are so evil to call their child Ukase? The name is Lukas and not Ukase for Christ's sake!" Kuro slapped his flat hand against his own forehead and shook his head.

"Yes Kagami... you're right. Oh, look! Look what this seagull there is doing!" Obviously was that seagull doing nothing important, but Kuro perceived his time on earth for to precious as to waste it in such an uninspired discussion. More likely he would prefer to snuggle with Kira now... When he was looking at her this way, an irresistible impulse to nibble at her earlobe overcame him...

Kira felt his eyes upon her skin and looked towards him, the sun reflected in his glasses. Why she had this inexplicable desire to pet over his belly every time she looked at him? Slowly she was getting worried because of that. One could not uninterrupted think of fingering each other all the time, could one? They were yet no cats in heat or such animals!

With highest efforts Kuro prevented himself to lick from her shoulder over her neck up to behind her ear. So he looked at Kagami... in the hope that this would turn him off. And really Kagami's masculine, muscular appearance was asexual enough to cool Kuro down.

And this although there was not much that could bring Kuro down on the floor again, when his craving was on such a climax once again. Actually it was a miracle that he did not fall upon Kira and dragged her clothes from her body right in this moment... But somehow there was still a border between his plans and the things he actually realised.

This border was probably the fear of that he was still not able to control his cat's tail. He smiled spoiled. °...Nor the other one...° Again! Again he just thought of the ONE THING! Hadn't he wanted to talk about something with Kagami? Yes, but what... oh yes...

"Anyhow, Kagami! I'll surely not join your crew! I'm going to be a famous pirate myself! A famous, notorious, feared and loaded! And if you beg me veeeeeeeeeeery kindly, you probably join my crew! But only probably! And only if you'll perform unrestricted obedience to me!" Kuro sighed theatrical and rolled with his eyes.

"It's really difficult to find good personnel in these days. If you want something done in the right way, you gotta do it yourself!" Kira giggled, Kuro as a pirate... Not that she couldn't imagine this, but he looked not really like the showpiece of a pirate. Tall, yes, but thin. Unbelievable strong but he did not appear like and glasses... What pirate was wearing glasses? As far as she knew there was none that looked like a complete nerd!

But Kira did not care about all this very much, she thought a nerdy to be extremely attractive and when she imagined him wearing one of this cool captain's coats, she started shivering and purring. Kuro and Kagami looked at her surprised, they did not knew what she was thinking of in this moment, although Kuro probably could imagine it.

Yes, Kuro actually knew very well when Kira was purring... mostly when she was with him, especially loud she purred when he was biting her into her neck... but this was another story...'

°Pirate Kuro...Captain Kuro...sounds good... real good... But didn't they all got some sort of title? Ah, I'll have to make some plans about this...°

Kagami stretched and longing looked onto the ocean. "You know what? It would be really cool if some pirates would show up in our boring little village! Man that would be a blockbuster!" Kuro laughing agreed with him. Real pirates in this chaff, that'll be great! Perhaps he would meet some from his father's former crew, if they were still alive.

"Yeah but see it like this: If some pirates would come to our village, they would beat you off with one strike!" Sulky Kagami offered a nudge to Kuro, this one rowed still shortly with his arms before he completely lost his balance and fell from the wall. He just managed to grab Kagami's foot and drag him with himself into the deep. Coughing the boys emerged and Kuro waved to his girl friend.

"Hey, come in! The water is wonderful warm!" Thankful Kira refused, not just because she knew that the sea on this side of the isle was never warmer than 10°C but also for Kuro's teeth were slamming that wonderful onto each other in the cold. The young men climbed aloft the quay and trembled like an aspen leaf. Kagami had enough, he said good-bye and went home to his parents for warming up.

Kira regarded the freezing Kuro, his skin white like freshly fallen snow, his hair black like ebony and his lips... blue like a sapphire.

"Oh my poor little Kuro, are you freezing? Shall I warm you up? Perhaps I should rub you until you're really hot again!" Kuro looked up to her Kira loved it to talk about certain topics in a very suggestive way, that's why he paid most attention to her eyes. And this sentences was unambiguous ambiguous! Kira's glance... this glance was even for her, extremely spoiled, Kuro could be sure now.

"I'm not letting me being ask this twice!" He leaped up and put his arm around her shoulder, he was still soaked and Kira began shivering when the cold spread over to her. Kuro grinned the whole way to his home like a child in a candy shop. Obviously it had been his plan to make Kira freeze.

"Don't worry, Kira. I'll take care of you getting really hot!"

****

* * *

Actually I wanted it to be romantic especially the first part... but it suffers a bit under my translation... '


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